Granger Receives Superstar Treatment In Surabaya

Thanks to the hoop fanatics from the DetEksi Basketball League (DBL)(www.deteksibasketball.com) I received a little more information on Danny Granger's trip to Indonesia. Danny represented the NBA at the DBL's Best and Biggest Competition and "made history" by participating in the first-ever NBA event in Indonesia. Here's the official word on the event from the DBL.

Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger had become a big part of Indonesian basketball history. Last weekend (23-24 August 2008), he became a guest star in the first-ever NBA event in Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country.

On Saturday, 23 August, Granger attended the finals of DetEksi Basketball League (DBL), Indonesia’s biggest student basketball competition. The event is being held in the brand new DBL Arena in Surabaya, Indonesia’s second biggest city.

In front of full house crowd (around 5.000 people), Granger did the tipoff for the boys final, then participated in a shooting game during halftime. He wowed the crowd with his accurate three-point shots.

On Sunday, 24 August, Granger conducted the NBA Basketball Clinic in DBL Arena. Giving fundamental basketball lessons to 50 top DBL high school players (25 boys, 25 girls).

He gave lessons about basic skills of stretching, dribbling, shooting, and defense. And he entertained the crowd (limited to 1.000) with four slam dunks.

As the first player in the first-ever NBA event in Indonesia, Granger was treated like a superstar. Giant billboards with his name and photo is put on display throughout the city of Surabaya and the province of East Java. A total of around 70 giant advertising billboards featuring Granger is put on display throughout the vast region of Indonesia. 

Nice to hear Danny's 3-ball shooting was wow-worthy for the locals in Surabaya. I'm working on gathering some more info on the DBL and Danny's visit. Until then, here are a few pics from the event.

Danny has the kids runnin' and smilin'

Danny's stroke impressed the full house

 
Danny offers an Indonesian flush (check out the crowd reaction)