Granger Stars in Indonesia

Shapecity · Sep 16, 2008

Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger didn't know what to expect when he traveled nearly 10,000 miles last month to participate in the NBA's first basketball camp in Indonesia.

But he wasn't expecting this:

More than 30 billboards promoting his arrival, police escorts to a sold-out arena, throngs of professional and student journalists asking him questions, and photographers constantly taking his picture.

Or this:

The Jawa Pos, one of the country's biggest newspapers, displaying a full-page photo of Granger in his home Pacers jersey wrapped around a front-page story in what the paper called the "Danny Granger Edition."

"It was cool to be thought of like that over there," Granger said in a recent phone interview. "Everywhere we walked we had cameras in our face. It shows how basketball has expanded. Everybody knew me. They really watch the NBA over there."

Granger was the lone NBA player to make the trip, and the Pacers' leading scorer last season relished his celebrity status. He taught kids spin moves in the post, ran sprints and fast-break drills with them and signed autographs.

It was all fun and games until he visited several orphanages, where he saw what he described as a "third-world country." He said the children had to live off about $20 a month.

"It was kind of humbling," Granger said. "I make a lot of money, and I go over there and I couldn't believe what I was looking at. When I walked through the orphanage, I was like, 'Oh my God' because I had no clue it was going to be like that."

Granger, whom NBA officials asked to participate in the camp, spent three days hosting 50 kids -- 25 boys and 25 girls -- at a basketball clinic at the new DetEksi Basketball League Arena in Surabaya. He tossed the opening tip in a boys championship game and shot 3-pointers at halftime. He also ran a clinic for 30 kids from an orphanage from Jakarta at the American embassy.

"A lot of the kids didn't speak English, but we had a translator," Granger said. "I did different drills with them and had a question-and-answer session with them. They asked me questions like how much money I make and do I think anybody from Indonesia can make it in the NBA."

Granger's journey was the first of a multiyear program put on by the NBA and DetEksi Basketball League to promote basketball development.

"This is one of the ways to expand the presence of the NBA," said league executive Ski Austin, who coordinates the league's global initiatives. "We take players in groups or individuals like Danny and conduct camps, clinics and have them take part in interactive events or tours. The players, who usually ask us to take part, give up their personal time in the offseason to take part in these events."

Granger said he is open to returning next year for the inaugural Indonesia Development Camp hosted by the NBA.

"Oh yeah, I'd come back if I had the chance," he said. "That trip gave me more of an appreciation of how we live. I think we're really blessed. It was a trip I will never ever forget."
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Source: IndyStar Blog

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Granger Stars in Indonesia

Shapecity S2/JBB Teamster Staff Member Administrator

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Granger Stars in Indonesia

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