LeBron James gets Saudi Arabia's young players excited on his first visit to the country🤗

During his first visit to Saudi Arabia, international basketball legend LeBron James hosted a clinic this week for young Saudi players with big eyes, including up-and-coming players from the women's national team.

 The Saudi Basketball Federation's president, Dr. Ghassan Tashkandi, stated: "We are immensely thrilled to have LeBron James visit Riyadh today.  It was invaluable to watch all of the guys' smiles and reactions.  He is a huge asset to our sport in Saudi Arabia because of his enthusiasm for the game and desire to train with our athletes.

"LeBron is a person who genuinely transcends sport on a global scale and is simultaneously a superstar, legend, and hero."  His presence today undoubtedly gave many Saudi boys and girls the chance to have their dreams come true and made lifelong memories.  Sports icons are extremely effective at motivating, bringing Saudi Arabia's future athletes together, and they don't come much bigger than the NBA's all-time top scorer, Tashkandi continued.

During his visit to the Kingdom, James oversaw a unique clinic at Al-Azem Academy in Riyadh, the capital, that was arranged by the Saudi Arabia Basketball Federation.  During the training session, participants practiced shooting and dribbling while sharing the court with one of the best basketball players in history.

With four titles, four MVP awards, four Finals MVP awards, two Olympic golds, and an incredible 19 All-Star selections, James has one of the most amazing NBA records, having begun his career 20 years ago. 

 James' visit is in line with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 strategy, which aims to make the Kingdom a global destination for some of the most important events while also encouraging healthier and more active lifestyles.  The FIBA 3X3 World Tour is one of the main events; it was held in Diriyah last year and twice in the coastal city of Jeddah.

After meeting and playing basketball with their idol back home, the players found it difficult to put their sentiments into words.  "LeBron had a huge impact on my life.  There are no words to express how delighted I am to be here.  Ibrahim Qattan, 16, stated, "I've wanted to be like him every single day growing up."

 "Growing up as a kid, you just see him on TV or on your phone screen, so to see him here today doing his thing is just amazing," said teammate Abdullah Basha, who had similar sentiments.  I wanted someone to pinch me because I thought I was having a dream.

"As women, we now have countless opportunities to play sport in the Kingdom," remarked Aseel Falatah, a player for the Al-Azem Academy.  Today's encounter doesn't seem real at all.  To be honest, I learned a lot from him.

Saudi Arabian sports are changing dramatically, as evidenced by the more than 50% increase in federations in just four years.  The percentage of adults who participate in sports and physical activity has increased from 13 percent in 2015 to 48 percent.

 A variety of grassroots initiatives have contributed to a 54 percent rise in basketball participation since 2018.  The first generation of female basketball players now consists of 240 individuals.

From 45 in 2018 to 105 in 2023, the number of registered teams has also significantly increased, with 28 of those teams being female.  Saudi Arabia is now represented in regional and international competitions by six national teams, both male and female.