Meeting with NBA

2/21/08

Attendees:

Members of the Friends and Supporters of Liberian Basketball, Inc. met with the NBA Director and Manager of Basketball Operations – International on February 21, 2008.  This meeting was made possible through the intervention of Mr. Michael Keating – Visiting Fellow, University of Massachusetts (potential FSLB member). The meeting proved to be extremely fruitful and the key items discussed are highlighted below.

The meeting began at approximately 1:00 p.m. with Michael providing some introductory remarks about the three of us representing FSLB, Inc. Subsequent to that, Brooks provided some information on his background as well as Martin’s. Brooks then provided an update on their expectations of the meeting. He indicated that their interest was to educate themselves on Liberia as there appears to be great cause for optimism and potential for basketball in Liberia, given the current state of affairs there.  Brooks and Marty are the points of contact for anyone wishing to be involved in the international arena so we are pleased to report that we met with the right parties.

Some historical information was provided on Liberia, the development of basketball in Liberia and the ties with the NBA over the years. Details of the presentation made by FLSB are attached and posted on the website. Brooks and Marty appeared rather interested in the information shared and had a number of questions which we were able to successfully respond to. They inquired about our non-profit status and we explained that we are in the process of filing our 501(c)3 application. We also shared with them some communication received from the Ministry of Youth and Sports which highlights the country’s needs (basketball equipment, training materials, etc.). Brooks immediately committed to providing us with some of the items on the list. He asked that we prioritize the list of items and get that information as quickly as possible so he can begin making arrangements for same. He inquired about our relationship with the national basketball federation and the ministry of sports as the NBA tends to work with national federations in the various countries. He wanted to know if we had reliable contacts that could be responsible for receiving the items and ensuring that they reach their proper destination. We assured them that we have a cordial relationship with both entities and are in frequent contact with them. We also offered to serve as the liaison and point of contact for delivery of the donations to ensure that they do reach the intended destinations and they were pleased with that arrangement. It was suggested that the items would be shipped via diplomatic couch (i.e. the American Embassy).

Brooks also mentioned that they are in the process of developing coaching guides and materials to be distributed throughout Africa. Liberia was not on their original list however, as a result of our meeting, he immediately stated he would add Liberia to the distribution list and said they would work through FSLB to provide 1,000 sets of the coaching materials to Liberia. The brochures are slated to be completed and distributed in September 2008. He would like us to begin registering the various coaches as there will be other opportunities to receive additional information and training in the future.

Another exciting opportunity that resulted from the meeting is that the NBA offered to sponsor at least one male athlete to participate in the annual Basketball without Borders event in Johannesburg, South Africa, in September 2008. They have asked us to select one male player who is extremely talented and has a lot of potential and ability to compete with other youth in Africa. The player must be born in 1989 or later. Brooks asked us to provide them with the name and contact information for the player by May and they will make all the arrangements for the player to go to the event. Marty indicated that there is a possibility that they may be able to sponsor more than one player but that is not definite. Also during the discussions, they told us they would provide us with passes for additional players to attend, however, we would have to arrange transportation and lodging for those individuals. They also mentioned that there are opportunities for coaches and referees to attend and observe the basketball camps as well. The costs would have to be born by the individuals or some other source however, they will make available the passes for them to attend.

They made a number of suggestions as to how we could secure funding for these kinds of activities, particularly if we can tie them to efforts to raise the level of social consciousness and responsibility regarding humanitarian issues. Basketball could certainly be used as a forum for educating the youth on several critical issues that affect their health and the nation as a whole.  Among the list of organizations mentioned were UNHCR, BCIU, Seeds and Nine Million.org.  We also discussed our intent to contact Robert Johnson, owner of the Charlotte Bobcats as well as Earvin “Magic” Johnson who was a recipient of the Freedom Award along with our president, Madame Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Brooks thought they were both good ideas and mentioned that he know Bob Johnson very well and would mention that he had met with us.  They suggested that we actively pursue leads to secure additional funding and indicated that at that point, they would be better prepared to support us by sponsoring one or two NBA athletes to hold basketball camps in Liberia, etc. To that end, we also discussed the possibilities of securing corporate funding from companies like Firestone and Mittal Steel as well.

Action items resulting from the meeting:

• Expedite the filing for our non-profit status
• Prepare and send informational letters to President Sirleaf, The Ministry of Youth and Sports, The Liberian Basketball Federation, Robert L. Johnson
• Prepare and send thank you letters to Michael Keating, Brooks Meek and Martin Conlon
• Work with Min. of Y and S and LBF to prioritize the list of equipment needed
• Identify trustworthy persons to work with us to ensure proper distribution of the items to be donated.
• Work with Min. of Y and S and LBF to register coaches
• Establish a process for selecting the player(s) to attend the Basketball without Borders camp in South Africa. There should probably be some criteria the player should meet regarding his educational pursuits, his character and ability to represent our country in a positive manner. The process must be unbiased and provide fair/equal opportunity for all the youth in Liberia.  We can work with LBF and Min. of Y and S to fine-tune the selection process and ensure it is abided by.
• Research leads for additional funding and support and once secured, arrange for NBA camp in Liberia some time in the future.

Follow-up with NBA with invitation to attend regional fundraiser and annual event in July

Minutes as recorded by DYRT