The finals of the league will take place in May.
Can you teach me how to shoot a three-pointer?” asks an excited child of NBA legend, Clyde ‘The Glide’ Drexler in the shadow of the imposing Zayed Sports City Stadium sitting impatiently on pure blue basketball courts underneath an intense sun, hundreds of schoolchildren gathered to find out which NBA franchise they will be donning the colours of the first Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League.
Inspiring the next generation of ballers from the emirate, the league is the tipoff to a multiyear partnership between Abu Dhabi and the NBA which is looking to established a love and passion for the game in the region.
“It is untapped,” says Ralph Rivera, NBA Europe and Middle East Managing Director, Ralph Rivera, of the potential talent that could be unearthed in the UAE.
“The opportunity to bring the NBA to establish these grassroots programmes give an opportunity to start to unleash the potential that’s here, not just in terms of kids having fun, but eventually producing the first player in the NBA from Abu Dhabi.”
Comprising 20 boys and 10 girls’ teams, all of whom will receive expert advice from accredited coaches, the league will see schools take to the court over the coming months before culminating in the Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League finals in May.
But glory on the court and the learning of fundamental skills are not only the benefits children will enjoy.
“Grassroots basketball is critical for kids to get exposed to the game early,” says Ralph.
“It’s important in terms of developing the skills but it’s even more important in terms of establishing the values of respect, commitment, teamwork and discipline that will have an impact on these kids, not just on the court, but for the rest of their lives.”
With NBA FIT Clinics, the NBA 2K League video game event, talks with former NBA superstars plus the first ever preseason NBA games in the Arabian Gulf to be played out in October, the opportunity to immerse oneself in the sport and shoot a couple of hoops has never been greater in the emirate.
And for basketball enthusiasts, more is to come.
“This is the first league that we are establishing. We are going to be establishing more leagues.
“We would like to see it get integrated into the school system as well and so this is just a seed, and this seed will grow into many more kids participating in more teams and more games.
“This is only the beginning. It is only the platform and then we will take it from here in ways that we haven’t even imagined yet.”
