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of Educational and Cultural Affairs State Department and the NBA Promote Basketball and Bestow Hope in the Congo ECA sent National Basketball Association (NBA) star players Juwan Howard, Dikembe Mutombo, and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) All-Star Nikki McCray as Sports Envoys to conduct basketball clinics in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for nearly 250 Congolese boys and girls ages 8 – 18 on July 15 – July 18, 2007. Ambassador Roger Meece kicked off the program in Martys stadium, the largest outdoor stadium in Kinshasa, which was filled with hundreds of fans. Howard, Mutombo, and McCray along with coaches from the Congolese Basketball Federation engaged the youth in team building activities and enthusiastically discussed the importance of education, positive health practices and respect for diversity. This initiative also tackled combating hunger in the Congo. During the clinics, lunch was provided not only for all who attended, but participants in the stands as well. Going to the Congo as an emissary for the United States and the Department of State was a great honor for Nikki McCray. While in the Congo she discovered many of the women coaching for the Congolese Basketball Federation played against her when she was a WNBA All-Star in the 1996 Olympics. During these clinics McCray was able to re-establish past relationships with the former players. The coaches welcomed her and admired her compassion for the game and the youth of Kinshasa. Nikki McCray stated how honored she was to have been selected to participate in this capacity for the Department of State. McCray said, “It felt great to be out there with the kids teaching them not only about basketball, but also being able to discuss life and talk to them about life.” Dikembe Mutombo played a vital role with the clinics. Congo-born Mutombo has achieved superstar status in his native country. While in the country Mutombo held the inauguration for Biamba Marie Mutombo hospital (BMMH), the hospital he built in honor of his mother. This special event reached monumental status due to the three envoys participating in the festivities. Many attending the inauguration expressed how impressed they were with the Envoys and their desire to help others. Juwan Howard best articulated his sentiments regarding the program by stating, he was not asked to come to the Congo… He asked to come, and would do so again.
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