Let me introduce myself. My name is Dariusz Lewandowski. In the past, I was lucky to be a professional basketball player. I played for clubs in Poland, France, the Czech Republic, and Sweden. I also attended training camps with top European teams, like Benetton Treviso, and during summers, I practiced with NBA and Euroleague players in the U.S. (By the way, is the NBA truly represents the best level of team basketball now? In my opinion this is debatable. But that’s a topic for another time.) Over the years, my love for basketball hasn’t faded. If anything, it has grown stronger and deeper. We understand each other better every year, and it never gets boring—there’s always something new to learn or to understand from another point of view. That’s why I’ll never stop learning—from books and by attending coaching workshops. These include local training sessions and big events like the EHBC Coach Congress. I know basketball well. I’ve been connected to it for 35 years (I’m 45 as I write these words). Basketball has given me many tough lessons but also countless moments of unbelievable joy. I love this sport and can’t think of a better one (although I do enjoy playing tennis as well, basketball will always be my true love in sports). Now I want to share what I have learned and understood over the years with the next generation of players. That’s how the idea for OrangeBallAcademy came to life. On a personal note, I live in the Netherlands with my amazing wife, two wonderful kids, a dog… and a rabbit. I’m also a coach for a local junior team and working hard on growing my own clothing brand for basketball players, which is called, of course, OrangeBall.