NEW YORK, United States/MIES, Switzerland - The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) announced on Tuesday that they will host their first joint basketball development camp in Havana, Cuba from 23-26 April.

Two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash, NBA Global Ambassador Dikembe Mutombo and WNBA Legend Ticha Penicheiro will lead the four-day camp with the Cuban men's and women's national teams, and community outreach projects in association with the Cuban sports ministry, INDER, and the Cuban Basketball Federation (CBF).

For the first time, the NBA and FIBA will invite two players and one coach from Cuba to participate in the upcoming Basketball without Borders (BWB) camp.

"This is a great day for Cuban basketball and our federation," said CBF President Ruperto Herrera. "To have both the NBA and FIBA collaborate on youth instruction and the development of the game in our country is magnificent. We thank the Republic of Cuba and INDER for opening the doors for these basketball camps that will end up benefiting the future of national and international basketball."

"We've seen the bridges that basketball can build between cultures," said NBA Deputy Commissioner and FIBA Executive Committee Member Mark Tatum. "We look forward to sharing the values of our game with Cuban youth and learning together through the common language of sports."

"In the continued effort to strengthen our national federations, it is extremely gratifying to see Cuba serve as the centre of a development camp of this magnitude," said FIBA President Horacio Muratore. "This is a country that loves basketball and we are proud to work together with the NBA on this historic venture."

Through NBA Cares, the league's global social responsibility programme, the NBA and FIBA will refurbish three basketball courts and host youth basketball clinics at two Havana locations. Tatum will join the legends and local officials to participate in the court dedication ceremonies focused on encouraging healthy, active lifestyles and teaching the values of the game such as teamwork, respect and dedication.

Orlando Magic Head Coach James Borrego, Utah Jazz Head Coach Quin Snyder, Utah Jazz Assistant Coach Brad Jones, USA Basketball Youth Development Coach Don Showalter, and Director of Basketball Academy of the Americas Victor Ojeda will participate in training camp efforts for the Cuban men's and women's national teams at the senior (18+) and junior levels. Additionally, the coaches will be joined by Washington Wizards Vice President of Basketball Administration Tommy Sheppard, New York Knicks Associate Athletic Trainer Anthony Goenaga, and FIBA Americas Referee Geraldo Fontana to host workshops for coaches, trainers, and other sports professionals.

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About the NBA
The NBA is a global sports and media business built around three professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women's National Basketball Association and the NBA Development League. The league has established a major international presence with offices in 13 markets worldwide, games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 47 languages and NBA merchandise for sale in more than 125,000 stores in 100 countries on 6 continents. NBA rosters at the start of the 2014-15 season featured a record 101 international players from 37 countries and territories. NBA Digital's assets include NBA TV, which is available in 60 million U.S. homes, and NBA.com, which recorded 26.9 billion page views during the 2013-14 season, with more than half of all visitors originating from outside of North America. The NBA is the No. 1 professional sports league on social media, with more than 800 million likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms. Through NBA Cares, the league and its teams and players have donated more than $242 million to charity, completed more than 3 million hours of hands-on community service, and created more than 915 places where kids and families can live, learn, or play.

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About FIBA
FIBA (fiba.com) - the world governing body for basketball - is an independent association formed by 214 National Basketball Federations throughout the world. It is recognised as the sole competent authority in basketball by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

For further information about FIBA visit fiba.com or follow FIBA on facebook.com/fiba, twitter.com/fiba and youtube.com/fiba.

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About Basketball in Cuba
Cubans have played basketball since 1906 when young adults brought back the game after learning it in North American colleges and YMCA gymnasiums. The men's team has participated in six Olympic Games and four FIBA Basketball World Cups. The team won the bronze medal at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, where CBF President Ruperto Herrera contributed 14 points, five rebounds and two winning free-throws.  Two years later, the team finished fourth at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in San Juan.

The reigning FIBA Americas champion women's national team has also competed at a high level on the international stage since the 1970s, with its best results coming in the 1990 FIBA Women's World Championship in Malaysia (bronze medal) and in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona (fourth place).  The team has participated in 10 FIBA Women's World Championships and four Olympic Games.

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CONTACTS: 
Chris Legentil, NBA, clegentil@nba.com, +1 (646) 660-5934
Julio Manteiga, NBA, jmanteiga@nba.com, +1 (212) 407-8813
Williams Rosario, FIBA, william.rosario@fiba.com, +1 (787) 977-4999

FIBA