SEOUL, KOREA, MAY 19, 2009 -- The Korea Development Camp presented by Shinhan Card will return to Seoul for the third consecutive year to develop top Korean basketball talent, it was announced by the Korea Basketball League (KBL) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) today. The camp will bring the top 40 Korean basketball players ages 16 to 19 together to learn from KBL and NBA players and coaches. The camp MVP will earn a spot to participate in Basketball without Borders Asia, the league’s premier global basketball development and community outreach program, taking place July 30 to August 2 in Beijing, China.

The Korea Development Camp will take place at the Yangjae Seoul Education & Culture Center from May 21 to 24. The Korea Basketball Association is supporting the event by identifying the top 40 players based on their performance in tournaments held during their respective high school seasons. The campers will be divided into four teams and receive formal training from the KBL and NBA coaches and players. Campers will have the opportunity to put the skills they’ve learned to use in games that will be held each day after the clinic session. An All-Star game will be played on the final day of the camp, showcasing the top talent.

Five-time NBA Champion Ron Harper (Chicago Bulls: 1996 to 1998; Los Angeles Lakers: 2000 and 2001) and Toronto Raptors’ Jason Kapono, a member of the 2006 NBA Championship Miami Heat and two-time Footlocker Three-Point Shootout Champion, will join NBA assistant coaches Stephen Silas of the Golden States Warriors and Rory White of the L.A. Clippers as camp coaches. The KBL coaches and players who will participate include Hee Seon Kim and Byung Soo,Kang, assistant coaches of the Busan KTF Magic Wings, Min Hyung Lee, former assistant coach of the Seoul Samsung Thunders and former coach of the Korea University and Dong Joon Lee, Forward of the Daegu Dongyang Orions.

For the first time, the event will feature an NBA Referee Clinic, a new program specially designed to train KBL referees. George Toliver, Director of NBA Development League Officials, who was an NBA referee for 14 years, will share his experience and offer instruction to 26 KBL referees through seminars and a case study.

In addition to the presenting partner, Shinhan Card, other partners include Gatorade, New York Life, official outfitter adidas, official supplier Spalding, official portal partner Naver and media partner Jumpball Magazine.

“The Korea Development Camp is one of the most successful basketball training camps in Korea and our campers have shown tremendous improvement over the past two years,” Dong Kwang Kim, Executive Director of Basketball Operations of the KBL. “We are happy to team up with the NBA to raise the standard of basketball in our country.”

“The NBA and KBL are dedicated to developing the sport of basketball in Korea,” said Scott Levy, Senior Vice President and Managing Director of NBA Asia. “With the assistance of Shinhan Card, we are returning for a third consecutive year and with the addition of the NBA Referee Clinic, we expect this to be our most successful camp ever.”

“We are excited to present the Korea Development Camp to our young basketball players and referees,” said Choon Kuk Lee, Vice President of Shinhan Card. “The camp provides us with a special platform to give back to the community, reach new consumers and make a contribution to the growth of basketball in Korea.”

In addition to daily basketball instruction, the camp coaches will oversee daily games, motivational and life-skills seminars that promote leadership, character development, teamwork and an All-Star game on the final day of the camp.

For more information, please log onto to www.NBA.com.

About KBL
The Korean Basketball League (KBL) was established in 1997. KBL has been leading Korean basketball with high-quality games and various basketball businesses. Ten teams play in the league. The league features the top Korean players include Kim Joo Sung, Bang Sung Yoon, Kim Seung Hyun as well as Ha Seung-Jin, former NBA player.

With the mission to promote the sport of basketball in Korean, the KBL is heavily involved in all basketball programs for the local youth. The 2008-09 KBL Season broke the all-time attendance record with over 1.2 million fans watching the games.