(cnet) In 1994 and 1995, Kenny “The Jet” Smith won back-to-back NBA Championships playing for the Houston Rockets. Since retiring, he can be seen on the Emmy Award winning TNT show, Inside the NBA alongside Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal. The program has turned from being just a show about basketball into its own phenomenon. YouTube is littered with clips and outtakes that have thousands if not millions of views. But it was when Smith’s annual summer basketball camp for kids in North Carolina was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic that he came up with the idea for the Jet Academy (from his nickname).
During an interview on CNET’s I’m So Obsessed podcast, Smith explained how his online academy allows kids around the world to participate and to learn basketball skills from current NBA and WNBA players. One of the unseen advantages for the kids participating in the Jet Academy is the ability to video chat with their instructors.