Jet Academy Provides Unique Virtual Basketball Experience with NBA, WNBA Stars

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Kenny Smith’s Carolina Basketball Camp was canceled. It became one of many live summer basketball camps that were ineligible to take place because of COVID-19.

The Jet was sitting at his home in Los Angeles when his son had a virtual call. He was demonstrating basketball skills for some middle schoolers. When he was finished, he turned to his father and said, “You should do your camp like this.”

But Smith didn’t want it just to be for his camp at North Carolina.

“I said, ‘Wow, there it is.’ So, the idea was born from that day,” Smith said. “Him and my daughter and myself, we sat down, I started calling NBA players, and it happened.”

The Jet Academy was created — a year-long virtual basketball camp unlike any other.

Once signed up for the camp, it becomes available everywhere and on any device. Boys and girls from all over the world have the ability train to and develop their talents with some of the best players in the NBA and WNBA.

“Your development shouldn’t stop because of a pandemic,” Smith said.

Jet Academy also features live interactions with the players. Questions can be submitted and are read in a Q&A format with Smith and professionals. Campers can also submit videos of their drills to be viewed and coached by the Jet Academy Staff.

“They can upload their videos, and we critique their videos live or within 48 hours,” Smith said. “That experience and that teaching between myself and the players is really unique that you can’t get anywhere in the world. I mean I don’t know how many players that NBA champions and WNBA MVPs and all these stars are critiquing 15-year-old and 12-year-olds.”

If campers miss a live session, they can login into their Jet Academy account and replay their exclusive workout on demand whenever and as often as they choose.

“Even when you’re live, things are happening so fast, so you can go back and master the move. That was important to me and important to our campers,” Smith said.

Some of the players Smith has brought on so far to be a part of the camp are Kemba Walker, Victor Oladipo, Trae Young, Brittney Griner and Breanna Stewart.

Oladipo, who played college ball at Indiana and is now the face of the Indiana Pacers’ franchise, was a big attraction to the camp.

Smith said he thought it was important to get a player that represented a state that cherishes the game of basketball.

“Oh, that was important,” Smith said. "When you think of basketball, you think of a couple of states right off the top — Illinois, Indiana, New York City. Those are the states that, no matter what, they’re going to be there.

“So, to have Vic participate, he understood because he also does camps like we know, and he was 100 percent in.”

When Oladipo was doing his live Q&A, the first kid to come on and ask a question was from Florida. The next kid was from Los Angeles, the next was New Jersey, the fourth was Mexico.

“You never have this when you have a camp and there’s kids from all over the world,” Smith said. “That never happens. And so, this is a unique experience with like-minded, community people, and I always challenge people like, if everyone else is working out, why aren’t you? Why aren’t you in Jet Academy? Why aren’t you getting better? Because you shouldn’t have an excuse and let things like this stop you.”

Oladipo answered a number of questions, ranging from how things were like in the NBA Bubble to how he misses pizza.

One camper asked Oladipo about how he approached basketball as a younger kid and Oladipo gave an inspirational message.

“When I was younger, it was tough to relate to people, to talk to people, right? It was tough to kind of talk to your coach or ask your coach for advice because you’re more so listening than asking,” Oladipo said. “At your age, when you’re playing, you just gotta play for fun. Use your imagination more so than anything else, especially at your age.

Everything is getting thrown at you, and you’re trying to learn and sometimes it can get confusing. I think the biggest thing is to just be a sponge. Soak everything and just go for it. Just use your imagination and go play.”

The camp is ongoing as well. Even if campers weren’t signed up for when Oladipo or others participated in the camp, they can still sign up and replay the videos.

Smith is going to continue to bring in NBA and WNBA talent and make the Jet Academy a year-long camp.

Even if whenever the opportunity for live, in-person basketball camps are feasible again, Smith still wants to continue this virtual set up. He thinks all camps should adapt this virtual setting, where one part of it will be for campers in person, but then there will be an extra hour dedicated to going live virtually so kids across the world can participate.

"I live in Los Angeles now. It’s difficult for me to send my kid to a camp in New York. But virtually, oh, sign him up,” Smith said. “So, I will continue that virtual experience well after we’re done.

This is a continuation that doesn’t stop. Basketball doesn’t stop, so why should we?”

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