Rick Barry helping an Israeli boy perfect his shooting skills at the Tamir Goodman Basketball Camp. Photo: Screenshot.

JNS.org – Retired National Basketball Association (NBA) player Rick Barry visited children at a basketball camp in Jerusalem last week during his stay in Israel.

The NBA Hall of Famer stopped by the Jerusalem International YMCA to speak with youngsters taking part in the annual Tamir Goodman Basketball Camp about the fundamentals behind the sport.

Barry, who played for the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets, told them: “You can talk about preparation, dedication, determination; you can talk about all these wonderful characteristics to help you be a successful person. What it all boils down to—the one characteristic you have to have if you really want to be good at what you’re doing in life—you have to get confidence in your ability to do what it is you’ve trained to do.”

He also shared on Twitter photos from his visit to the basketball camp.

The camp is run by former American-Israeli basketball player Tamir Goodman, dubbed by Sports Illustrated magazine as the “Jewish Jordan.”

While speaking with StandWithUs, Goodman thanked Barry for taking time to speak at the camp, saying, “You see how much he cares about the kids; he cares about the game. It’s something that the kids will always remember and it definitely enhanced their life, so I’m thankful for it.”

Barry later talked to StandWithUs about enjoying his stay in Israel, which he called “an amazing country.”

“I don’t think people around the world understand how many amazing innovations have come out of Israel,” he added. “The Jewish people are an amazing group of people. Wonderful people. I told Tamir yesterday that I don’t think you can have a better friend than a Jewish friend.”