It’s been a busy summer for Danny Green of the San Antonio Spurs. Just a week ago, the fan favorite decided to skip free agency, opt into his contract and stay with the Spurs.
Now with an important piece of business out of the way, Green focused on the fans this weekend with a trip to Corpus Christi. A big part of his visit was all about some of his youngest fans.
Green brought his annual basketball skills camp back to the Coastal Bend over this weekend. The two-day event was held at Incarnate Word Academy. In doing so, the nine-year NBA veteran is giving youngsters an opportunity even he didn’t have while he was growing up in New York.
"We had some camps. They weren’t that local and they weren’t run by any NBA players really," Green said. "So we had to go really far to so see an NBA player or we had to travel far to get a good camp."
Green’s skills camp brings world-class teaching and coaching to the backyards of our area’s aspiring basketball stars.
Many of the participants, including 13-year-old Nolan Green, were serious about learning the game.
"I wanted to see my idol Danny Green, of course. And also I wanted to prove my skills in basketball itself," the Kaffie Middle School student told KRIS 6 News.
His father, Jason Green, also talked about how special this experience was for his son, saying, "He’s so excited. He’s never been to this camp before, and it’s really great that they do this for the kids."
Nolan and about 70 other kids had the chance to learn the fundamentals from Danny Green and his camp’s coaching staff.
"They’re learning to dribble. they’re learning to pass, shoot. Obviously, the defense is of the very key importance of the game even though they don’t want to learn it," said the Spurs star.
Green says he’s been fortunate to hone his skills in the NBA with a first-class franchise like the Spurs.
"It’s a blessing, man. The chance to be able to play for a Hall of Fame coach and play with three Hall of Fame players that won multiple championships and I also got to win a championship with them," Green said about the Spurs organization during an appearance at the Outlets of Corpus Christi Bay on Friday.
"It’s hard to describe in words but I’ve been very lucky most of my career and hopefully that luck continues. It’s a top-notch organization not just in basketball but in all of the sports, I believe."
Now, he’s passing on that knowledge to what could be the next generation of professional ballers. Green continues on with his summer camps in El Paso and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where he played college basketball.
