The National Basketball Association (NBA) and basketballscotland today announced a new partnership to create a school-based Jr. NBA basketball league in Edinburgh for boys and girls ages 11-12.
The Jr. NBA basketballscotland League will be held in local primary schools, where each co-ed team will represent one of the 30 NBA teams and will receive corresponding NBA team-branded jerseys for their games.
The Jr. NBA, the league’s global youth basketball programme for boys and girls, teaches the fundamental skills as well as the core values of the game at the grassroots level in an effort to help grow and improve the youth basketball experience for players, coaches and parents. During the 2016-17 season, the NBA will reach more than 18 million youth in 53 countries through its youth participation initiatives.
“We are pleased to partner with basketballscotland to promote youth basketball development in Scotland through the launch of our first Jr. NBA league,” said NBA EMEA Associate Vice President, Basketball Operations Neal Meyer. “Together we will offer a program that fosters healthy competition, teaches the values of the game, and provides an opportunity for children to have fun while learning more about the sport.”
“basketballscotland are both humbled and excited by the opportunity to partner with the NBA to deliver their Jr. NBA programme here in Scotland,” said basketballscotland Head of Education and Development Derek O’Riordan. “The team is looking forward to engaging with local kids who will benefit from this inspiring programme. The partnership will enable us to use the brand recognition behind the NBA to raise the profile of basketball in areas of Scotland not synonymous or familiar with the sport. It is also a ringing endorsement for us as an organisation, and a federation, to be given the prestige of running the Jr. NBA basketballscotland League; credit has to go to all the staff at basketballscotland for making this happen.”
Similar to the NBA, teams will be divided into two conferences and six divisions. The league will run from October through December, with the top eight teams from each conference qualifying for the playoffs. The top two teams from each conference will then meet in the league championship to determine the first Jr. NBA basketballscotland League champion.
Leveraging the excitement of the NBA, the league will also promote the NBA values of teamwork, leadership, fitness and healthy living through competitive league play, Jr. NBA Draft and Finals events and Jr. NBA youth clinics.
For more information on the Jr. NBA basketballscotland League, please click HERE.
Fans in Scotland can find more NBA information at NBA.com/UK, the league’s official online destination in the UK, and on Facebook (NBA UK) and Twitter (@NBAUK). Fans can download the NBA App for news, updates, scores, stats, schedules, videos and more.
