Basketball

Papua New Guinea’s Jennifer Maroroa being one of the notable attendees.

Aligned with the FIBA Global Strategy, the Marty Handson Scholarship Program aims to strengthen national federations by bolstering grassroots initiatives and facilitating coaching development across the region.

Jennifer Maroroa, the coach for the Papua New Guinea U17 Women's team, emphasized the significance of effective communication and understanding cultural dynamics in leadership roles.

Key points:

• LeBron James scored the record-breaking shot in the third quarter of the match against the Oklahoma City Thunder
• Previous record holder Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was courtside to witness his record being broken
• The record had stood for over 38 years

Needing just 36 points to eclipse former Laker Abdul-Jabbar's tally of 38,387, James completed the record in the third quarter of the contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Warriors sharpshooter needed two triples against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday (all times AEDT) to go past Ray Allen’s record of 2,973 career three-pointers made in the regular season.

And he got it done early, burying a shot from deep in the opening minute to tie Allen’s record, before hitting another one at the 7:33 mark to surpass him.

A timeout was called immediately after as Curry received a standing ovation at Madison Square Garden in a special moment where he celebrated with his parents, fans, teammates, coaches and officials.

After a host of fourth-place finishes, Australia finally got their hands on an Olympic medal, beating Slovenia 107-93 to win bronze in the Tokyo 2020 men’s basketball tournament.

The Australia Boomers finished in the dreaded fourth place in Seoul 1988, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 and, more recently, Rio 2016 before finally getting their breakthrough in Tokyo.

Olympic veteran Patty Mills led from the front injecting passion and skill into the game while contributing a mammoth 42 points to the Boomers’ scoreline.

Kevin Durant's  bid to join Carmelo Anthony  as the only other basketball  player to win three straight Olympic gold medals is still alive after another stunning display against Australia.

Durant had a game-high 23 points and nine rebounds as the U.S. defeated Australia 97-78.

The USA's all-time top-scorer was everywhere, stopping dunks, hitting threes, single-handedly putting down an early Australian uprising and now the States play for their 16th gold medal in Tokyo.

Hungry for more, though, Patty Mills made clear the Boomers hadn’t “done s…”, despite booking a semi-final showdown with the United States after a 97-59 thrashing of perennial contenders Argentina late on Tuesday night.

“For us to be able to be the best, we have to beat the best,” Mills said of a Boomers outfit which’ll have two bites at the cherry as they look to break their Olympic medal drought.

“There’s only one thing that we’re focused on, and we have to get it done,” Mills added. “Tonight’s performance was a result of the belief in each individual on this team.”

Three-time Olympic medallist James and nine of the players from the successful 2016 campaign in Rio were included on the list announced by USA Basketball on Monday.

Should the Los Angeles Lakers star make the final 12-man roster, he will join Carmelo Anthony as the second player to represent Team USA at four separate Games.

Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson won gold in Brazil four years ago and have made the cut despite being yet to play a minute in the NBA this season due to respective Achilles and knee injuries.

Lae resident Aaron, who was part of the team to the Pacific Games in Samoa this year, left PNG on September 14th for the US where she will be for a month.

She will spend three weeks in Colorado Springs at the Olympic Training Centre of the US Olympic Committee (USOC) followed by a weeklong coaching apprenticeship in Philadelphia before returning to Papua New Guinea.

She is on an Olympic Coaches Scholarship supported by US Olympic Committee, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) through Olympic Solidarity and Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee.

Mea, the current Regional Manager of the PNG Sports Foundation, attended the 2019 FIBA Oceania Assembly on 4^th May at the Voco Hotel unaware of the honor about to be given to him.

He said it was a pleasant surprise and an honor to be given this award. 

FIBA Oceania Executive Director David Crocker lauded Mea for his contribution to the sport in the region, saying he deserves this recognition because of his work, contribution, and passion for PNG Basketball.

Patricia Ramsay is the wife of FIBA Oceania Founder Al Ramsay.

Mea, the current Regional Manager of the PNG Sports Foundation, attended the 2019 FIBA Oceania Assembly on 4^th May at the Voco Hotel unaware of the honor about to be given to him.

He said it was a pleasant surprise and an honor to be given this award. 

FIBA Oceania Executive Director David Crocker lauded Mea for his contribution to the sport in the region, saying he deserves this recognition because of his work, contribution, and passion for PNG Basketball.

Patricia Ramsay is the wife of FIBA Oceania Founder Al Ramsay.