Shooting for the top

At almost two metres tall, it’s difficult not to spot Ike Nwankwo in the Bangkok crowd and in fact, many Thais often mistake the former National Basketball Association (NBA) player for Shaquille O’Neal. 

But the brawny American harbours a dream that’s very different from the ex-Los Angeles Lakers star centre’s showbiz ambitions: Nwankwo aims to produce the first Thai ever to play in the NBA. 

Having played professional basketball in the US – including a brief spell with the LA Lakers in 2004 – as well as in 10 other countries during a career spanning more than 15 years, Nwankwo has settled down in the Kingdom, where he last played competitive basketball with the now-defunct team Thailand Tiger three years ago. 

After calling it a day, Nwankwo came up with the idea of contributing to Thai society by setting up the Top Flight Basketball Academy, with the aim of equipping children with the skills and the knowledge to become the best basketball players they can possibly be. 

“I’d have loved to continue playing but I was unable to play at the top. The next best thing was to open the academy and teach the sport to young children who wanted to learn the game,” says the Texas native, who won National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship in 1995 with one of the most famous college basketball teams, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). 

Nwankwo is aware that basketball has suffered a decline in popularity since the retirement of star player Sirirat “Nong Waen” Yonyothinkul, but says his affection for the Kingdom, and particularly the Thai people, was more than enough reason to set up the academy.

“I love this country and the people. I know many people say that but Thais are very nice to me. It’s a great feeling. I’ve been to many countries and that’s not always been the case. The Thai people are really friendly and it means a lot to me. It makes me feel at home.

“I also saw an opportunity because basketball is not the biggest sport here. It’s still new to lots of people. I thought to myself it’s a great opportunity for me to help develop the game and raise the profile of basketball here.” 

Nwankwo adds that he also enjoys having a hand in developing the children, both as people and athletes. 

“I’m very happy running this programme. It’s changed my life. When I was playing, I never thought I would be involved in the project like this. As a player, you think only about yourself. So, to be able to give something back and help people makes me very happy.

“My playing experience taught me a lot about the game. Living in different countries taught me about character. So what we try to do at Top Flight is not just to teach the fundamentals of basketball but also to impart the lessons we have learned about being good people.” 

Designed with the goal of providing kids with a challenging but fun atmosphere in which to maximise their abilities on the court, Top Flight stands out from other sports academies, with games and fun activities integrated with the training programmes to ensure the children are engaged and excited about what they are learning. 

Opened in October 2010, it now provides training to more than 500 youngsters ranging in age from three to 18. Unfortunately, due to financial constraints, all the kids come from families who are comfortably off. Nwankwo is hoping to expand the project to all children regardless of their backgrounds but admits that to do, he will need financial support from either the government or the private sector.

“Most of the kids participating in our programme are from international schools. Their parents pay for the coaching fee. However, we have run projects for under-privileged children, we’ve done some work with orphanages and held some clinics for them as well. 

“Our aim is to expand Top Flight to teach all the kids no matter what their background is. We just want to have a chance to help teach them basketball.”

For the second year running, Nwankwo is arranging a trip to Los Angeles where the children will have the opportunity to meet both Kobe Bryan and Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan and attend the two star players’ camps.

“It’s a tremendous experience for the kids. It’s one thing to learn and play against each other here. It very different to go to America and play against some of the better players and learn from some great coaches.”

Nwankwo has no doubts that the trip helps the youngsters develop into better players. 

“Last year, we also took the kids to LA for two weeks and they had a chance to take part in LA Lakers and UCLA camps. The most important lesson they brought home from the trip was seeing what it takes to be great player.

“When they came back, they had confidence in their abilities. They wanted to improve and had some kind of goal to strive for.” 

Nwankwo is aiming not just to raise the profile of basketball in the country but also to produce the first Thai to play in NBA.

“I would say we’ll achieve success in about five years, perhaps longer, when basketball has a higher profile in Thailand and more kids play the sport. Hopefully too, these youngsters will develop and become good adults too. That would make me very happy.

“But my dream is to one day see the first Thai picked for the NBA. If I have a chance to fully help with that, it would be great.”