john salmons

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The NBA announced Tuesday that Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey and guard-forward John Salmons will participate in the 2014 Basketball without Borders (BWB) program.

The schedule will feature first-time camps in Taipei, Taiwan and Rome, Italy, and will return to Johannesburg, South Africa. Basketball without Borders, the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development program, has reached 1,700 campers from more than 120 countries, with 28 BWB campers drafted into the NBA.

Casey, along with fellow head coaches Brian Shaw (Denver Nuggets) and Jeff Hornacek (Phoenix Suns), former All-Star Andrei Kirilenko (Brooklyn Nets) and Thabo Sefolosha (Oklahoma City Thunder) will participate in BWB Africa. The camp returns to Johannesburg for the 11th time from August 5 – 8 and will bring together the top 60 African players born in 1997 or 1998 from more than 20 African countries.

Salmons will join Nicolas Batum (Portland Trail Blazers), Ronny Turiaf (Minnesota Timberwolves) and Cody Zeller (Charlotte Bobcats) in Taipei from June 13 – 16 to help tip off BWB Asia. Eight-time NBA All-Star Yao Ming will make a one-day appearance. BWB Asia 2014 will bring together the top 50 players born in 1996 or 1997 from more than 20 Asian and Oceanic countries.

BWB Europe will start the summer schedule from June 2 – 5 in Rome. Highlighting the camp will be three current Italian NBA players and former BWB campers: Danilo Gallinari (BWB 2003, Denver Nuggets), Andrea Bargnani (BWB 2003, New York Knicks), and Italian national team captain Gigi Datome (BWB 2003, Detroit Pistons). In addition, Brandon Knight (Milwaukee Bucks) and Al Horford (Atlanta Hawks) will also participate. BWB Europe 2014 will bring together the top 50 players born in 1997 from more than 25 European countries. The camp was held previously in Treviso, Italy in 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2005.

“Basketball without Borders helped me become the player and man I am today, both on and off the court,” said Gallinari. “Learning basketball and life skills from NBA players and coaches is a special opportunity that I greatly appreciated in 2003, and that I know this year’s campers will greatly appreciate. I look forward to bringing the amazing BWB program back to Italy with some of my fellow countrymen, and to coaching some of the most talented teenagers in Europe. I can’t wait to get started.”

Through NBA Cares, the league’s global social responsibility program, all three camps will include extensive community outreach efforts led by NBA players and coaches. Through grassroots basketball development, community service, and life skill seminars, BWB will focus on teaching the values of the game, including leadership, respect, character and health and wellness. In addition, donations of school supplies, clothing, books, games, basketball equipment and other necessities will be made to local community-based organizations.

Nike, a BWB global partner since 2002, will again outfit the campers and coaches of all three camps with Nike apparel and footwear.

Since its inception, the NBA and FIBA have staged 36 BWB camps in 21 cities across 18 countries on five continents. More than 150 different current and former NBA/WNBA players have joined nearly 140 NBA team personnel from all 30 NBA teams.

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Casey And Salmons To Participate in Basketball Without Borders

Thousands of Raptors fans will make their way tonight to Air Canada Centre to cheer on their Atlantic Division champions – from outside the arena. Through the first four games of their 2014 NBA Playoff series versus the Brooklyn Nets, Maple Leaf Square – adjacent to Air Canada Centre – has seen increasingly larger crowds gather for Raptors playoff viewing parties. Sunday saw the largest crowd yet with an estimate 4,500 fans attending the Party in the Square presented by Bell to watch Game Four on the Bremner video screen.

“The support for the Raptors this season in Toronto, and across Canada, has highlighted the fact that this is one of the most passionate markets in the NBA, and in my mind, this is just the first step in what we can accomplish,” said Tim Leiweke, President and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. “Together with our fans and our partners, we are working to build a consistent playoff contender so that we can look forward to this electric environment each and every year.”

Coming off a record-setting 48-win regular season, the heightened appetite for Toronto Raptors during their playoff run is evident across the board – on social media, in sales, sponsorship and on television. Some of the highlights include:

The first four games of Toronto’s NBA Playoffs telecasts on TSN are averaging 640,000 Viewers 2+. The average reach of the games is at 2,859,000 and the average peak audience is 1,213,000. Game Four, with 885,000 viewers, marked the highest Toronto Raptors NBA Playoffs audience on any Specialty Network. The previous high was Game 5 vs. the Detroit Pistons in the 2002 NBA Playoffs, which also aired on TSN (612,000).

The Raptors will continue their playoff push as they host the Brooklyn Nets tonight at 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on TSN and TSN 1050.

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Raptors Record-Setting Season On The Court Produces Record Results Off The Court As Well

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