Special Olympics Virginia athletes team up with the NBA for basketball clinic

The NBA Basketball show which was taped in September will finally air on the NBA channel November 20.

Special Olympics Founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver (center) joined the Special Olympics athletes and NBA and WNBA players in Orlando.

Special Olympics Incorporated and the National Basketball Association (NBA) are teammates once again. After taking a 10-year break, the two held a joint clinic for Special Olympics Florida (USA) athletes featuring stars from the NBA, NBA Legends and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) on 12-13 September 2005 in Orlando, Florida. NBA-TV filmed the clinic, which featured Tony Wood and Armand Acrie of Newport News, Virginia. The clinic will be broadcasted on the network in late fall 2005. NBA stars Gilbert Arenas, Chris Paul and Jerry Stackhouse; NBA Legends Walt “Clyde” Frazier and Dee Brown; and WNBA star Alana Beard took part in the clinic and skills competition that followed.

The NBA and Special Olympics are renewing a relationship that dates back to 1974 when Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Special Olympics Founder and Honorary Chairman, met with NBA team owners and invited them to support Special Olympics basketball. In that same spirit, Shriver attended this clinic to extend a hand to the NBA.

Special Olympics and the NBA hosted the clinic at Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida. Nearly 100 athletes and Unified Sports® partners from Special Olympics Florida participated in the clinic and two athlete all-star games that followed. Then, six adult Special Olympics all-stars, including Wood and Acrie, put on a show with a dunking exhibition and half-court shooting contest. Finally, these six athletes partnered with the NBA/WNBA players in a Unified skills contest similar to the contests held during the NBA’s All-Star Game weekend.

The event took place 12-13 September 2005, and began with dinner the first night for the NBA/WNBA stars and the six adult Special Olympics all-stars. The informal occasion gave all the athletes a chance to interact on a personal level before moving to the court.

At the clinic, each Special Olympics all-star was paired with an NBA/WNBA player. They worked together to instruct the athletes at each station in rebounding, passing, shooting and dribbling.

The NBA/WNBA players then coached the athletes in two 10-minute all-star games. Pasco County played Wakulla County in the first game, and Orange County played Hamilton County in the second.

In the dunking exhibition that followed, Special Olympics all-star Tony Wade of Roxboro, North Carolina, slammed home ally-oops and one-handed dunks that made the younger athletes yell for more. However, to their greater amazement, Special Olympics all-star Matt Redick of Olathe, Kansas, then hit a half-court shot for the fans.

Redick, Wade and other Special Olympics all-stars Marc Williams of Providence, Rhode Island, Jason Papalexandrou of New York, NY, then completed the skills contest with their NBA/WNBA Unified teammates.

Lunch at Disney’s All-Star Café followed for the Florida athletes, Special Olympics all-stars and NBA/WNBA stars.

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