IO – Former national women’s basketball player Jeanne Yuliana has now dedicated herself to training children to play basketball by supporting the Jr. NBA Indonesia program, including Jr. NBA Coaches Academy which is a teacher and sports training program supported by the local government. Jr NBA has trained 16.5 million children and more than 45 thousand teachers from 35 thousand schools in Indonesia.
“In my opinion, every child must have the same opportunity to receive the right knowledge, including in basketball,” said Jeanne, who idolizes Michael Jordan.
Since joining the Jr. NBA in 2014, Jeanne has often been assigned to provide training in remote areas.
Jeanne praised the NBA’s efforts to continuously improve health and encourage an active lifestyle of the younger generation through basketball games that are inclusive and sustainable.
Jeanne assessed that Indonesian female players have talent. She believes there will be more women players defending the country on the international scene.
Meanwhile, Natalia Andre, Jeanne’s colleague, and one of the other Jr. NBA coaches in Asia, who is also responsible for assisting the development and promotion of basketball in the Southeast Asian region by working with governments, sponsors, and federations, expressed similar responses about the development of basketball in Indonesia.
Natalia was amazed by the development of the younger generation of basketball in Indonesia since the launch of the Indonesian Jr. NBA program. “It’s amazing to witness the enthusiasm of teachers, coaches, and students concerning basketball,” Natalia said. Government support to strengthen the commitment of the team on this trip has a huge impact.
Jeanne and Natalia missed the opportunity to train children directly in the field because the Covid 19 pandemic forced everyone stay at home. Jeanne routinely does stretching at home, while Natalia does some basketball and fitness exercises at home.
Natalia also took part in the Jr. NBA at Home program, a series of free and interactive content events that features basketball skills and exercises that can be done individually in a limited space. (rp)