Former NBA New York Knicks player Anthony Bonner, aka “The Big Man from St Louis”, will be in Guyana this August for the second free Youth Hoops Basketball Guyana Clinic, organised by Green Mango Media in partnership with the Guyana Amateur Basketball Association (GABA).
Bonner will, from August 6th to 8th, host training sessions in Regions 4 and 10 with Xperience Outreach (USA) founder and youth coach Rich Mahler. Young people between the ages of 11 and 19 are invited to participate.
“We are excited that Anthony Bonner agreed to travel to Guyana to be a part of YHBG, which was formed to give young basketball players a chance to be trained and hear from athletes who played/play in top leagues, including the NBA and BIG3,” said a spokesperson for YHBG. This is the first time that Bonner will be visiting Guyana.
Anthony Bonner was one of the top forwards in the NBA during the 1990s. He played six seasons in the NBA for the Sacramento Kings (23rd overall pick), New York Knicks and Orlando Magic.
Bonner was on the 1994 Knicks team that made it all the way to the NBA Finals. Then, a year later, the team made it to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Playing for the Orlando Magic in 1996, his team again made a playoff run, but lost to the Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls.
After leaving the NBA, he played in professional leagues in Europe before returning to St Louis and sponsoring youth basketball camps to help young athletes attain the same level of success he had enjoyed.
Youth Hoops Basketball Guyana Clinic was launched in April 2019, with sessions in Georgetown and Linden hosted by Rich Mahler and former NBA and present BIG3 baller, Jermaine Taylor.
“Green Mango Media is committed to promoting youth skill development in basketball through local and international partnerships, and to reinvigorate an interest in basketball at all levels,” a spokesperson has said.
Bonner and Mahler will focus on footwork, aggressiveness, mentality, and all-round offensive skills, including ball-handling and shooting.
They will also identify players with the potential to make it to the next level, and hold talks with players on the pathway to sports college/training scholarships in the United States and playing in the NBA.
