Butler in Africa

Washington Wizards All-Star forward Caron Butler is one of four NBA players visiting Johannesburg, South Africa, from Sept. 3-7 as part of the Basketball Without Borders Africa Camp. Wizards vice president of player personnel Milt Newton also is traveling with Butler.

More than 100 or Africa's top teenage basketball players are at the five-day event, working on improving their skills through instruction from Butler, Matt Bonner of the Spurs, Thabo Sefolosha of the Bulls and Charlie Bell of the Bucks.

"Basketball without Borders Africa is a powerful program and something I'm proud to be a part of," Butler said in a statement. "I'm very excited to be working with these young basketball players and teaching them about the importance of education, healthy living and HIV/AIDS awareness. This is a great opportunity to pass on the positive values that basketball instilled in me as a young man."

Basketball Without Borders has featured more than 250 current and former NBA players, coaches and officials from 30 different teams, all of which have mentored more than 1,200 young athletes from more than 100 countries and territories on five continents.

Butler and the Wizards are less than a month away from training camp, which will begin some time during the last week of this month and conclude the first week of October. Then begins the preseason, which features games in both Barcelona and Berlin.

-- Mike Jones