Basketball: Five-time NBA champion Ron Harper in Singapore to coach youth players

Ron Harper when he was playing for the Chicago Bulls. PHOTO: BASKET4US / FACEBOOK

SINGAPORE - Retired basketball player Ron Harper, who won five NBA championships over a storied 15-year career, will headline the Sept 9-11 Junior NBA Singapore National Training Camp.

Harper, 52, will coach 200 boys and girls aged 10 to 14 at the OCBC Arena. The top 10 boys and top five girls will be named Junior NBA All-stars and will join selected players from the region in an NBA event later this year.

The Junior NBA programme is also held in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, and aims to coach children in basketball fundamentals and impart values like sportsmanship and teamwork.

Apart from coaching the children, Harper, a former shooting guard, will also meet fans at clinics and community events.

Harper, who won three rings with the Chicago Bulls and two with the Los Angeles Lakers, said: "These young athletes have worked very hard to get to this point, and I look forward to sharing my knowledge and experiences with them so they can take their game to the next level."

The Junior NBA programme is presented by ActiveSG Basketball Academy, which offers coaching for children here aged five to 14 years old. It is led by former national head coach Neo Beng Siang.

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