Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr spent this week working with campers at the 18th annual Basketball Without Borders (BWB) camp in Cairo, Egypt.
Held Sunday through Wednesday, the event marked the first time the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program took place in Egypt, with the program hosting over 60 of the top players ages 18 and under from across Africa.
Kerr was one of five NBA head coaches at Basketball Without Borders in Africa this year, along with Chauncey Billups (Portland Trail Blazers), Wes Unseld Jr. (Washington Wizards), Willie Green (New Orleans Pelicans) and Chris Finch (Minnesota Timberwolves). Current NBA players Malcolm Brogdon and Grant Williams (Boston Celtics), Udoka Azubuike (Utah Jazz) and Mo Bamba (Orlando Magic) also attended the event.
During the four-day camp, NBA coaches and players led campers through a series of efficiency drills, skill scrimmages and leadership development sessions, with a ceremony held on the final day of the program to award the BWB Africa 2022 MVP, Defensive MVP, Three – Point Champion and Patrick Baumann Sportsmanship Award to selected campers.
Kerr, who was born in Beirut, Lebanon, spent a few of his earlier years in Egypt while attending Cairo American College (CAC).
“I haven’t been back here since 1985,” Kerr said. “I brought my family — I brought my wife, my daughter, her husband — it’s great to be visiting Egypt again, and doing so while coaching and being a part of BWB made it a perfect trip.”
The nine-time NBA champion even visited his previous alma mater, stating, “I had a chance to visit the (CAC) campus a couple of days ago and go talk to the school teams, boys’ and girls’ teams, visit some of the coaches and the teachers, so it was a great experience.”
Since the program’s launch in 2001, Basketball Without Borders has continued to expand, with the NBA and FIBA coaching more than 3,800 participants from 134 countries and territories and 105 former campers advancing to the NBA or WNBA.
Last season, there were a record 41 former BWB campers headlining the record 121 international players on 2021-22 NBA opening-night rosters including five-time NBA All-Star Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers) and 2019 NBA champion Pascal Siakam (Toronto Raptors) .
Coach Kerr’s involvement in the Basketball Without Borders program emphasizes his long-term love and dedication to imparting his championship mentality with young players and expanding the game of basketball beyond borders.