The expanded second season of the Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League promises an exciting time for all.
If basketball is your jam, then get ready to toast to an exciting new season!
The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) have announced the launch of the expanded second season of the Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League.
Featuring boys and girls leagues each comprised of 450 players, aged anywhere between 11-14 from schools across the UAE capital city. Beginning 21 January, the action-packed season will culminate in an exciting final 12 March. While the inaugural season saw 30 teams, they’ve doubled it up this time around.
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The programme tipped off with a draft event hosted by DCT Abu Dhabi and the NBA on 14 January at the NYU Abu Dhabi campus’s three-court facility. The 60 participating youth teams (30 boys teams and 30 girls teams) were assigned an NBA team for the season, received corresponding NBA team-branded jerseys and participated in basketball development clinics, skills challenges and contests.
It was a star-studded line-up too, with DCT Abu Dhabi Chairman Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak; NBA Europe and Middle East Managing Director Ralph Rivera; seven-time NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady; and 10-year NBA veteran Luis Scola in attendance and interacting with the young players.
The Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League aims to promote the values of the game and encourage youth to lead an active and healthy lifestyle through participation in sports. During the 2022-23 season, the Jr. NBA will run 111 leagues in Europe and the Middle East that will collectively reach nearly 50,000 youth in 28 countries.
Date
21 January – 12 March 2023
Location
Abu Dhabi
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