Jamaican children welcome Jamal Murray to basketball summer camp

MONTEGO BAY (Jamaica) – NBA stars Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets) and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Toronto Raptors) made space in their overflowing calendars of preparing for the upcoming season to land in Jamaica and hold a basketball camp for girls and boys.

The three sessions of this event for children and youth ages 8 to 16 were held in the Montego Bay Community College. Aside from teaching basketball skills, both Murray and Hellis emphasized on creating life skills and promoting community leadership to contribute to society.

“It was such an amazing experience to be able to meet so many young players in Jamaica,” said Jamal Murray in a press release. “Their enthusiasm was incredible. We’re delighted with how well this first camp went and are already thinking about the next one.”

Players also handed out nearly 400 backpacks with supplies in time for the back to school season.

“Jamal Murray’s camp provides us the opportunity for young Jamaicans to interact with someone who’s playing at the highest level,” said Jamaican Basketball Federation Paulton Gordon, to FIBA.basketball “Jamal and his team provided technical guidance and motivation to around 500 young players. They were able to listen what they needed to fine tune their abilities and their discipline, as well as the tenacity (they need) to play at a high level. The camp also brought recognition to the sport of basketball and will help us in our search to involve the public and private sectors.”

Jamal Murray, a native Ontarian and seventh pick in the 2016 Draft, is connected to Jamaican lands thanks to his father, Roger, who was born in this Caribbean island. Hollis-Jefferson, from Chester, Pennsylvania, was picked by the Portland Trail Blazers in 2015 and then traded to the Brooklyn Nets, where he played until this year.

The Sunwing Foundation helped the players with this event. This charitable initiative supports youth education and development in the communities where it operates in the form of project funding or the transport of humanitarian aid.

FIBA