Encouraging girls to see net gains

On Friday afternoon, at a remote school over 70 kilometers from Horqin Right Wing Middle Banner in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, an exciting girls' basketball game got underway.

Playing on a brand-new outdoor basketball court, the air was filled with a continuous, sharp squeak from the friction of the girls' sneakers gripping the colorful playing surface.

What made the game particularly special, though, was the presence of retired NBA star Robert Horry, tossing the ball high into the air to start the game, while Chinese basketball legends Mengke Bateer and Zheng Haixia looked on from the sidelines, coaching the two teams.

This event, along with the construction of the new court, is part of a recently launched charity initiative called Her Time to Play, under the auspices of NBA Cares, the National Basketball Association's global social responsibility program.

The initiative seeks to support the holistic development of young female students in underdeveloped regions through a range of strategies, such as upgrades to sports facilities in rural schools, basketball skills training programs and the organization of basketball matches among local schools and communities.

From Aug 20 to 22, 41 physical education teachers from schools throughout Horqin Right Wing Middle Banner participated in professional basketball training led by NBA international youth development expert Bryan Gamroth. The training sessions included instruction on fundamental basketball skills, physical fitness and testing, sports psychology and healthy eating.