NAGPUR: Three months after getting a call to study and play in California, promising city forward Shomira Bidaye got another invite from the organizers of the world's best basketball league in the US. The 16-year-old is now among the five Indians selected for the NBA Academy Women’s Virtual Program.
A total of 50 players from 22 countries have been selected by the NBA for an eight-week basketball and leadership development program.
All the girls will take part in basketball and life skills development training under the guidance of current and former WNBA players and NBA Academy staff. As part of the on-court curriculum, participants will receive virtual lessons, instructions and challenges, where they will compete against their peers from around the world.
The life skills sessions will be focused on leadership development, nutrition, goal setting, personal branding, mental health and wellness.
Excited to be a part of the NBA's unique activity, Shomira said, “They are teaching us about American basketball, which I want to play at college level in the future. All the coaches have good connections and they can make my dream come true.”
Elaborating on the training, she added, “I am looking to improve my on-court skills. They are also teaching us off-court aspects like mental health, goal setting and nutrition, which will make me a better player altogether.”
The four other Indian players who have been selected comprise Parnika Srivastava, Kavya Singla, Sunishka Karthik and Yashneet Kaur.
While Shomira played in the 2019 Junior NBA Global Championship in Florida, Bengaluru’s Suniksha Karthik was part of the Indian team in the earlier edition. Both Yashneet and Kavya have represented Punjab in national championships and are from Jalandhar and Patiala, respectively.
The fifth Indian participant, Parnika is from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
