Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA International is an NBA youth basketball initiative that provides development for youth players, teachers, and referees. As of 2024, people in 173 countries have participated in Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA programs. This year’s programs are projected to reach over 50M people, connecting people around the world, through the power of basketball.
Among the 350+ international programs, Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA League Drafts, Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Leagues, and Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Coaches Clinics are prominent activations in Africa, China, Europe and Middle East.
The Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Coaches Academy E-learning Module, a notable activation in This year, Latin America – inclusive of Brazil and Mexico, has equipped PE teachers with tools to implement basketball into their classes. Meanwhile, in Canada, the Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Youth Basketball Program engages youth and coaches through 180 clubs.
In 2024, youth competed in the Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA 3v3 and 5v5 Tournaments across the Asia Pacific region. In India, P.E. teachers and coaches acquired new technical skills and best basketball practices to develop basketball talent through the Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Coaches Academies across 14 cities.
Furthermore, the Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Referees Clinics launched in person and online in seven of nine regions, providing education to more than 1K referees and table officials. Since 2023, referees from several International Youth Development Programs are identified and selected to travel to the NBA Summer League for NBA Referee Operation’s International Referee Development Program.
NBA Africa and Exxon Mobil announced the launch of the Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA League in Mozambique that will be operated by the Clarisse Machanguana Foundation (CMF). CMF was founded by former WNBA player and Mozambique legend Clarisse Machanguana. The league will consist of 30 boys' and girls' teams. To commemorate the launch, over 400 youth participated in a Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Clinic also featuring former NBA player, Trevor Ariza.
In collaboration with the Luol Deng Foundation and Stanbic Bank, NBA Africa launched the first Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA League in South Sudan. Leading up to the launch, the Juba Court was unveiled. The NBA Africa Basketball Operations team hosted a Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Tournament for 12 boys and girls teams, on the court.
Furthermore, 2K youth participated in five Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Leagues (Egypt, Morocco, South Africa, South Sudan, and Morocco).
The Africa team’s dedication and commitment to grow the game across the continent, impacted over 200 coaches through two Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Coaches Clinics (Nigeria and Rwanda) and 150 P.E. teachers through two Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Coaches Academies (Morocco and Egypt). The participants were introduced to the Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA values and trained to integrate them into their coaching methods to empower students. P.E. teachers and coaches also acquired new leadership skills, technical skills, and best basketball practices to develop basketball talent and produce leaders in their communities.
As an extension of the Basketball Africa League (BAL), in Cairo, Egypt, the NBA Africa Basketball Operations team ran four Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Clinics, a Her Time To Play Clinic, a Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Referees Clinic.
In collaboration with the B. League in Japan, the Asia Pacific Basketball Operations team executed eight Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA B League Clinics and four Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA B League Coaches Clinics for hundreds of youth and coaches. Following each clinic, the team also hosted sessions with parents to discuss the role of parents in youth development. One coaches clinic featured former NBA player and coach Derek Fisher, focusing on basketball coaching concepts.
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA program, the team delivered the first-ever Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Indonesia Week that entailed a Her Time To Play Clinic for 100 girls. In addition, over 1K youth participated in two Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA 3v3 Tournaments in Indonesia. NBA players Grant Williams and Marques Bolden of the Charlotte Hornets visited to engage with fans and aspiring players throughout the week.
Furthermore, NBA Asia partnered with Energen to host 100 Jr. NBA In-School Clinics. These clinics provide local basketball coaches and Physical Education teachers with the Jr. NBA Coaches Academy curriculum to teach the fundamentals of basketball within their classes.
In the Philippines, the Asia Pacific Basketball Operations team organized a Jr. NBA Alumni game that was held at Kuningan Stadium in the Plaza Festival shopping mall. Furthermore, 30 youth participated in a Jr. NBA Clinic, enriching their basketball experience, around the alumni game.
The clinics featured WNBA legend Tammy Sutton-Brown. As a role model and trailblazer in women’s basketball, her involvement brought an extra layer of inspiration and impact to the girls who participated in each clinic. Another standout WNBA player hailing from Canada, Kia Nurse, participated in a panel discussion that was moderated by Canadian sports commentator, Kayla Grey. Tammy and Kia shared their journeys and wisdom to the next generation of basketball player, reinforcing topics such as hard work, self-esteem, and confidence as a female in sport.
NBA China partnered with EaStar, a leading basketball training organization in China, to further expand Jr. NBA programming across the country. This year, the focus has been on coach training and youth basketball programs in the cities of Beijing, Quingdao, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, aiming to promote the sport at the grassroots level.
In 2024, the Jr. NBA programs in China engaged youth through Jr. NBA Leagues. Four Jr. NBA Leagues are active across China (Shanghai, Chengdu, Nanjing, Greater Bay Area). Each league will conclude its season with a highly anticipated Jr. NBA League Finals, in respective provinces, with fans and supporters in attendance.
In an exciting development, for the second consecutive year, 20 of the top boys and girls from China’s Jr. NBA League programs will be selected from a Jr. NBA Selection camp to attend a Jr. NBA International Experience during the NBA Summer League. The players will compete in a local youth basketball tournament, learn from NBA coaches, tour Las Vegas, and attend NBA Summer League games.
Similar to the NBA, an international Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA League can have a combination of the season structure: Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA League Draft, Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA League, Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA League Playoffs, Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA League Finals. There are currently 97 active Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Leagues across Europe with many countries hosting multiple leagues. 12 countries launched a Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA League with a Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA League Draft. During the draft, teams are organized into the 15 Eastern and 15 Western conference teams. Additionally, the Europe Middle East Basketball Operations team also executed a Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA League Finals in Czech Republic.
The NBA Europe Basketball Operations team collaborated with Valencia Basket to host the second season of the Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA European Finals. The top six U-15 boys and top U-16 girls teams in Europe competed in a dynamic tournament. Twenty-four games were played in four days. A total of 180 players and coaches participated in the finals, representing six countries in Europe. As part of the launch of the second season, youth participated in two Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA European Finals Launch Clinics.
As part of the Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Week in Paris, a Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Coaches Clinic was led by NBA Coaches Will Waiver (Brooklyn Nets) and Dan Geriot (Cleveland Cavaliers), Cathy Melain (FFBB), and Christophe Denis (Paris Basketball) with nearly 250 local coaches in attendance, in collaboration with FFBB. NBA Referee Operations Monty McCutchen and Mark Wunderlich delivered two Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Referees Clinics.
There were two Her Time To Play Clinics that featured French Women’s National Team player Diandra Tchatchouang and 2x WNBA All-Star, Sabrina Ionescu. Players received a pair of Sabrina’s new Nike signature shoe, the Sabrina 1s. In addition to the successful Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Week in Paris, the Europe Middle East Team also delivered a Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Skills Challenge and collaborated with the Brooklyn Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers to deliver Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Social Responsibility Clinics.
The NBA Europe and Middle East Basketball Operations team led the Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Abu Dhabi Week during the NBA Abu Dhabi Games. As a result, over 3K youth, coaches, and referees participated in 80+ hours of on-court, Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA programs. 15 Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Local School Clinics featured notable appearances by NBA Ambassadors Ticha Penicheiro, Ronny Turiaf, and Salah Mejri.
Minnesota Timberwolves Assistant Coaches Corliss Williamson and Kevin Hanson, Don Showalter of USA Basketball, and Dallas Mavericks Assistant Coach Sean Sweeney facilitated two Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Coaches Clinics. Additionally, Minnesota Timberwolves and Dallas Mavericks players participated in Social Responsibility NBA Cares Clinics for 250 youth.
In Doha, Qatar, over 400 youth girls, coaches, and referees participated in four Her Time To Play Days, featuring WNBA Legend, Sylvia Fowles. Fowles and Qatar Basketball Federation, Amal Al-Keldi shared their basketball journeys and experiences on a panel discussion. As part of the Her Time To Play Days, there were four Belonging in Basketball Programs, a Her Time To Play Clinic, the first-ever Her Time To Play Coaches Clinic, and the first-ever Her Time To Play Referees Clinic.
The India Basketball Operations team has continued to engage the youth basketball ecosystem in India with fourteen cities hosting Jr. NBA Coach Academies and Jr. NBA Coaches Clinics, with over 4,591 teachers and coaches participating.
For the first time ever, the team also delivered 14 Jr. NBA 3v3 Tournaments, across India. Over 1,650 teams comprised of over 6,700 youth participated. The winning teams from the 12U and 14U age levels, boys and girls, advanced to the Jr. NBA Finals in Delhi.
In addition, the India Basketball Operations team delivered five Jr. NBA Coaches Clinics-Online led by NBA team assistant coaches Rodney Billups (Portland Trail Blazers), Jon Lee (Toronto, Raptors), J.J. Outlaw (Cleveland Cavaliers), Ben Sullivan (Houston Rockets), and Jay Hernandez (Brooklyn Nets).
The Latin America Basketball Operations team delivered a Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA League Draft in Uruguay. The league comprises 30 boys' teams and 30 girls' teams. In March, the Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Montevideo League Finals took center stage. The appearance of NBA legend Carl Herrera elevated the excitement of the finals and served as a source of inspiration to the young athletes.
In collaboration with the Bahamas Basketball Federation, the team led a Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Clinic for 50 boys and girls. Bahamian National Team Head Coach Chris Demarco and Senior Women's Head Coach - Yolett McPhee-McCuin supported in the delivery of the Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Coaches Clinic.
The Brazil Basketball Operations team impacted over 1K youth during three consecutive Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Days in Sao Paulo. The youth participated in three Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Clinics and a Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Combine, played games, and enjoyed several interactive opportunities. The Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Days also included NBA Legend/former WNBA player Helen Luz. The team also delivered a Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Coaches Clinic, focusing on coaching concepts for competitive play and player development, for 50 P.E. teachers.
Over the year, the team has trained teachers and coaches across Brazil through the Jr. NBA Coaches Academy E-learning Modul. More than 30K PE teachers and coaches registered on the platform, reaching public schools around Brazil.
Additionally, NBA Latin America partnered with six local youth basketball influencers to increase engagement with the Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA program, through compelling content. The Brazil Basketball Operations team transformed local basketball influencers into youth basketball characters on Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Brazil social media, to produce on and off the basketball court content. As a result, youth fan engagement has accumulated 350k youth followers and 40M in content viewership.
Over 1K girls participated in six Her Time To Play Clinics across five cities in Mexico.
Additionally, 50K P.E. teachers took the Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Coaches Academy E-learning Module, provided by the Latin America Basketball Operations team, to equip PE teachers with the tools to integrate the game of basketball into their classes.