The Brooklyn Basketball Training Center is equipped with top-tier tools to help NYC kids perfect their skills! (Photos: BSE Global)
Liberty stars, Nets youngsters join Joe and Clara Wu Tsai for ribbon-cutting ceremony
By Noah Zimmerman
noah@queensledger.com
On Thursday afternoon, Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment (BSE), the Brooklyn Nets, and the New York Liberty held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening of the Brooklyn Basketball Training Center. Located just across the street from the Barclays Center, the new state-of-the-art facility will be home to youth clinics, training camps, and an array of local programming to help build the next generation of Brooklyn basketball players.
Brooklyn Basketball, the flagship youth basketball program affiliated with both the Nets and Liberty, has spent a few years building a deeper connection with the local community. Now with the help of the brand new facility they will be able to take their relationship to the next level.
“This isn’t just a building, it’s a bold step in how we empower youth through sports,” said Nets CEO and alternate governor Sam Zussman in his opening statements. “This center is a place where fundamentals, teamwork, discipline, and mental toughness meet innovation, where expert coaching meets cutting edge technology, and where every kid who walks through these doors knows they’re seen, supported, and celebrated.”
“The greatest thing about this place is that it’s not just about the hoops, it’s the people who are going to be in here and the community we’re going to be giving back to,” added Nets General Manager Sean Marks.
Liberty stars Breanna Stewart, Natasha Cloud, and Isabelle Harrison were some of the first to test out the new technology, taking each other on in a passing minigame ahead of the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Liberty stars Breanna Stewart and Natasha Cloud tested out a passing minigame
“Having this facility will show them how to reach [WNBA and NBA] goals. With all the technology and coaches involved in this, I think it’s going to be something everyone wants to be a part of,” said Stewart. “I hope I can come out here to work out if I need to,” she added with a laugh.
From left to right: Clara Wu Tsai, Breanna Stewart, Natasha Cloud, Isabelle Harrison, and Joe Tsai
Also joining Liberty players on stage to cut the ribbon was Nets forward Jalen Wilson and 2025 draft picks Nolan Traore and Drake Powell. After the speeches and ceremony, the NBA and WNBA players headed over to the hardwood to help out with the center’s first ever basketball clinic.
Nets 3rd year wing Jalen Wilson helps a kid with his jump shot at the first ever Brooklyn Basketball Training Center clinic
Wilson helped with jump shot form while others collected rebounds for a group of excited youngsters. It’s the first of many events to come, and with the Barclays Center just a few hundred feet away, Nets and Liberty players are sure to be a mainstay at the center.
