Supporting underserved sports communities around the world.
A free camp, two new backboards
In September 2010, BADL founder Bilal Abdullah, then a firefighter on Roi-Namur, visited Ebeye and decided to run a basketball camp for the island’s kids, free of charge. After months of planning and several reschedules, the camp took place on a Monday afternoon in early 2011, with volunteers from Roi and from the Ebeye community helping translate and run drills.
More than 60 kids took part, with hundreds watching. The stations covered defense, ball handling, shooting and conditioning. The last station sat the kids down to talk about peer pressure.
“I can use basketball as a means to get the kids’ attention; while they’re listening … I want them to take away the same peer pressure skills as they do with dribbling or with shooting.”Bilal Abdullah, quoted in The Kwajalein Hourglass, Feb. 5, 2011
The kids went home with 130 T-shirts, 300 silicone wristbands, 500 stickers, 100 basketball cards and 27 new basketballs. The biggest donation was two new backboards for the main court, which had been using wooden backboards with rusted rims and no nets.
The court, before and after
The Kwajalein Hourglass
“Roi-Namur firefighter donates time, skill to kids at Ebeye basketball camp,” by Sheila Bigelow. Saturday, February 5, 2011. Tap a page to read it.
Still giving back
The work did not stop on Ebeye.
Mauritius
Gear donations to young players.
Philippines
Pop-up community events on local courts.
Bahrain
Youth players suited up in BADL kits.