The NBA's three-day Basketball without Borders Asia training camp concluded at Shanghai University of Sports yesterday.

The camp, which came to China for the second time following its debut in Beijing last year, brought together 46 young players from 17 countries and regions around Asia.

A group of NBA players and coaches joined the youngsters as program directors.

They included Atlanta Hawks guard Josh Childress, Toronto Raptors center Matt Bonner, Orlando Magic forward Pat Garrity, Houston Rockets guard Richie Frahm, Portland Trail Blazers center Ha Seung-Jin and Philadelphia 76ers center Samuel Dalembert.

The youngsters and pros joined together to form two teams - "Mavericks and Heats", in an all-star game yesterday afternoon, which attracted an estimated 1,000 fans.

Nail Gararov of Kyrgyzstan, the MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the game, led the Heats to a 63-57 victory, while Dmitriy Klimov of Kazakhstan was named the MVP of the training camp.

"The whole weekend was fantastic," said Gararov. "I felt myself getting stronger every day and the camp gives a fresh understanding about basketball."

Chinese player Wu Nan echoed the comments, saying he greatly benefited.

"I learned a lot at the camp, not only basketball skills but also the way of living," he said. "It's really enjoyable to communicate with those NBA players and that provided me with a lot of confidence."

Basketball without Borders runs a series of activities at camps, ranging from daily motivational life-skills seminars to HIV/AIDS awareness lectures.

"This is our 13th camp," said Kim Bohuny, vice president of international basketball operations at the NBA. "Every camp just gets better and better. The other great thing is that Basketball without Borders highlights to NBA players and coaches some of the needs around the world. This is why the camps are so important."

(China Daily June 12, 2006)