National Basketball Association ( NBA ) players in Taipei next week for an exhibition game will coach children affected by Typhoon Morakot for a day, the Taiwan chapter of the Christian charity organization World Vision announced Friday. "As the first ever NBA game in Taipei is creating excitement across Taiwan, a group of children currently facing adversity but still embracing their Basketball dreams will be given a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn from professional Basketball players in an NBA Basketball clinic in Taipei on Oct. 7, " World Vision Taiwan said in a press release. Retired San Antonio Spurs defensive star Bruce Bowen, Indiana Pacers star Danny Granger, and his Pacers teammates will pass on their shooting, passing and dribbling skills to 82 World Vision sponsored children, according to the charity organization.
The children, aged 12-14, are from indigenous communities in typhoon-stricken Chiayi County and other areas that have struggled against poverty or suffered severe property losses during Typhoon Morakot, which devastated southern Taiwan Aug. 7-10.
The Basketball clinic is part of the NBA Cares program that promotes social responsibility and community charity. NBA Cares chose to work with World Vision Taiwan because the two share a concern for child welfare.
Taiwan will host an NBA game for the first time when the Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers play an exhibition game at Taipei Arena Oct. 8, a breakthrough for a country in which the NBA has a devoted following.
Taipei will become the 8th Asian city to host an NBA exhibition or regular season game. Japan's Tokyo, Yokohama and Saitama hosted six regular season two-game series between 1990 and 2003, while exhibitions have been held in recent years in Beijing, Guangzhou, Macau, and Shanghai.
