Nuggets assistant coach promotes basketball Down Under

The type of batteries found under the hood of a Ford or Chevy were serving as the primary power source for a housing community in Soweto, South Africa.

Needless to say, there wasn’t much light when Hunt and other members of an NBA contingent stepped into a small house in the poverty stricken area outside Johannesburg. Living in the home were a woman, her daughter and her infant granddaughter.

Before leaving, Hunt and his colleagues collected about $100 and gave the money to the women, figuring it would help pay for some food and other basic necessities.

“Our guide said, ‘Do you know what you just did for that family?’ ” Hunt recalled. “He said the child’s mother would be able to pay for a ride into town to get a job. Once she gets a job, she’ll be able to work and make enough money to move out of there. He broke down how that $50 or $100 will change their entire world.”

Through his work as an NBA assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers, Hunt has felt fortunate to spread his basketball knowledge and humanitarian goodwill to countries such as South Africa, China and Lithuania.

His latest destination is Australia, where he is representing the Nuggets as part of an NBA Asia Pacific camp that also includes former Nuggets great Alex English, former Toronto Raptors coach Jay Triano and former NBA players Horace Grant, Ron Harper and Luc Longley. The camp features 40 young players from Australia, China, South Korea and New Zealand.

“The kids are like sponges,” Hunt said. “Whatever you do, they try to soak it up. They want to get better. They’re excited to see you, and that’s the fun part. You always go over thinking about what you’re going to give. You end up taking and taking and taking because the kids are incredible.”

Hunt, entering his second year as an assistant to Denver coach George Karl, has an outgoing personality and is a natural fit as an ambassador for the game. In addition to working with the international players, he is looking forward to catching up with English, a Hall of Fame forward who remains the leading scorer in Nuggets history.

“There was a group of small forwards that I loved growing up: Mark Aguirre, Adrian Dantley and Alex English,” Hunt said. “They were all smooth. They all remind me of your cool uncle. You always wanted to go hang out at his house. He always had something good to eat at the crib.”

Hanging out with English will cap a pretty cool summer for Hunt. He traveled to watch his son Miles play in AAU tournaments and later spent several days in Lithuania scouting games at the European championships.

“It’s fun because I’ve watched (European players) evolve over the years,” Hunt said. “You see a different kind of basketball, but it’s starting to blend (with the American game). It’s getting closer and closer to the same game. I think that’s what (NBA commissioner) David Stern wanted – a global game.”

Through international programs such as Basketball Without Borders, the NBA has indeed increased its global influence in the past 20 years. Not only do players receive on-court instruction, but they receive life-skills training. The NBA representatives also visit the surrounding communities in hopes of making an impact.

While in South Africa with Basketball Without Borders a few years ago, Hunt remembers visiting a school and then making an impromptu donation to the children and staff members.

“We were leaving and guys were giving out their wrist bands,” he said. “Next thing you know, they were giving their headbands. Next thing you know, their shirt. Literally, we were taking our clothes off. Chico Averbuck, our scout in Cleveland, took his shoes off. We’re like, ‘That’s a great idea.’ We all got on our bus with just enough to get back to the hotel.”

If it meant giving people the shirt off his back, Hunt looked forward to making similar contributions in Australia.

“We really don’t know poverty until you see it in other countries,” he said. “It opens your eyes. It gives you a great appreciation for being here.”