Former NBA champion and Head Coach Brian Shaw is in India this week!

Brian Shaw knows a thing or two about tough journeys. Unsettled in any basketball home, Shaw spent the first 11 years of his career in seven different teams, including a stint in Italy, without making a significant mark or finding his footing. It wasn't until age 33, in his final NBA stop, that Shaw found basketball nirvana. A member of the Los Angeles Lakers from 1999-2003, Shaw played a small but pivotal role in the legendary team that won three NBA titles besides Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. His story proved to be one of perseverance, timing, and professionalism: given the right amount of hard work and a little stroke of luck, even the toughest journeys can lead to a fulfilling destination.

This week, Shaw will hope to relay that same mantra to dozens of aspiring young basketball players in India - players who may face seemingly insurmountable odds in their basketball journeys - and give them the inspiration to keep their hoop dreams alive.

To help promote the sport for the NBA, Shaw is scheduled to land in India on Wednesday, February 24, for a five-day visit until February 28. During his trip, he will be tipping off premier NBA events like the ACG-NBA Jump National Finals in Greater Noida, NBA City Finals in Jaipur and NBA Jam in Mumbai. Shaw joins the growing legions of former Laker champions to visit India, including AC Green, Pau Gasol, Robert Horry, Horace Grant, and Ron Harper.

Shaw will make his first stop in Noida on February 24 where he will share personal drills and training techniques with participants of the National Finals of ACG-NBA Jump, India's first national basketball talent search programme. The national finals, from February 22-25 mark the culmination of the five-month programme that took place across six regions including Delhi, Ludhiana, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.

From Noida, Shaw will travel to Jaipur on February 26 where he will share tips with students at the St. Edmunds School, as part of the Reliance Foundation Junior NBA programme, a comprehensive youth basketball initiative that applies the values of basketball to positively impact the lives of Indian boys and girls. Shaw will then travel to Mumbai the next day to engage the youth of Mumbai at NBA Jam at the KJ Somaiya College, where fans will have the chance to meet with Shaw, win NBA merchandise, and experience lifestyle elements including interactive games, contests and live music performances. He will conclude his India visit with a live television appearance on Sony SIX's NBA morning show 'Around the Hoop' on February 28.

In his professional playing career that spanned over 14 years, Shaw played for the Boston Celtics (who drafted him), Il Messaggero Roma in Italy, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, and the Portland Trail Blazers, before finally finding his NBA closure with three championships with the Lakers. Shaw became an assistant coach with the Lakers soon after retirement (adding two more championships in 2009-10), served as an assistant coach for the Pacers, and was most recently the Head Coach of the Denver Nuggets from 2013-15.