Brendan Dunne 
2012’s edition of the World Basketball Festival is living up to its name much more than in previous years. The 2010 event was confined just to NYC, whereas this year the festivities are sprawling out across the globe ahead of the 2012 Olympic Summer Games in London. Where and when exactly is all this going down? Well they already hit up London over the weekend with stars like Luol Deng and Scottie Pippen showing up in the heart of Brixton to show support. Next on the agenda is the July 12th stop in Paris, a leg that will feature youth clinics as well as appearances by the French national team. After that the USA’s squads will show off their skills in our nation’s capital of Washington DC beginning July 13th, along with clinics and meet and greets for local military families.
Particularly exciting on the sneaker side of things for the Washington DC event is the 20 Years of USA Basketball exhibition, presenting a look at 20 Swoosh silhouettes that have played a critical role in changing the game over the years. Perhaps the most historic spot of all will culminate the journey, as Barcelona will host the festival starting July 20th in a celebration of the Dream Team’s dominance two decades ago, with members of that legendary squad showing up to partake. Click through for some shots of USA Basketball stars Kobe Bryant, Tamika Catchings, Kevin Durant (wearing some patriotic KDIV’s we’ve not yet seen), and LeBron James doing their thing and let us know if you’re planning to make it out to this summer’s World Basketball Festival.
