The US is sending professional basketball players and coaches to Burma in a bid to boost cultural ties. The US Embassy said on Sunday that four “sports envoys” will be in the country this week as part of a US State Department-sponsored program “to emphasize the importance of academics, cooperation, and respect for diversity.” The group will conduct several sports workshops with local youth before leaving on Friday. The group includes Charlotte Bobcats basketball team manager Richard Cho, a Burmese native who migrated to the United States.—AP