Strength & Guidance

In collaboration with NBA stars like Chris Paul, DeMar DeRozan and Chauncey Billups, Spalding continued its renewed commitment to the grassroots hoops scene with its inaugural series of Basketball IQ Camps across the country this summer.

- Ryne Nelson

Imagine a grassroots basketball camp that features an NBA chef, a professional trainer and a complete line of new Spalding Training Aids.

Welcome to the Spalding Basketball IQ Camp, which took place this summer in Winston-Salem, Los Angeles and Denver. At the camps, a select group of elite high school athletes were invited to experience a “day in the life” of a professional basketball player—an NBA All-Star, to be precise.

The idea of the camp was born out of Spalding wanting to provide more than a typical showcase of games for the high school athletes.

Instead, they wanted to provide players with the on- and off-court knowledge—the total Basketball IQ— that could really make an impact on players’ careers.

Known primarily in the basketball community as the provider of the official NBA game ball, Spalding introduced players to an array of soon to-be-available on-court products.

From the ever-popular on-ball handle sleeve to the shot contester, shot arc or dribble goggles, the young athletes had all the tools the pros use and more.

Spalding contacted trainer Nick Graham of D1 Sports Training to direct the camps. As a former Washington State point guard and son of a college coach, Graham is well aware of the manipulative practices that have become too prevalent in grassroots basketball.

But he was immediately impressed with the camp’s directive “to inspire and reinforce the inner confidence within every baller,” and he signed on right away.