by Brent Eades
In the “better late than never” department, we just learned that the ambassador of the United States, Bruce Heyman, stopped by the Naismith Museum at the Mill of Kintail last Wednesday, an event linked to this weekend’s NBA All Star games in Toronto. He was joined by federal minister of sport Carla Qualtrough and Canada Basketball president and CEO Michele O’Keefe.
According to the US Embassy’s site,
Minister of Sport Carla Qualtrough, Canada Basketball president and CEO Michele O’Keefe, and Ambassador Heyman toured the collection together. They saw a number of artifacts from Naismith’s life, including the rock Naismith used to play his childhood games of “Duck on a Rock,” one of basketball’s predecessors. The three were also treated to a sneak peek of a video from NBA Canada that showcases how the NBA partnered with Almonte to repair a community basketball court.
The NBA All-Star Game take place on February 14 in Toronto — the first time the game has been played outside the United States. Ambassador Heyman will attend the game and will take part in many of the surrounding events.
In related news, a film crew was spotted in downtown Almonte today, apparently shooting footage of the hometown of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, for broadcast during the All Star games.
