Basketball England & NBA Launch Jr League
Basketball England and the National Basketball Association (NBA) have announced the launch of the 2016/17 Jr. NBA Basketball England League – a secondary school basketball programme for boys and girls ages 11-12, which aims to help grow and improve the youth basketball experience for players, coaches and parents.
The announcement comes following the second year of the Jr. NBA Basketball England Leagues in Birmingham, London and Manchester that concluded in January 2016.
This year’s edition will feature Jr. NBA draft events in London and Manchester and the return of a dedicated girls league in the capital.
In each league, 30 secondary schools will play an eight-game season followed by single-elimination playoffs and a league championship. Each school will represent one of the 30 NBA teams and will receive corresponding NBA team branded t-shirts for their games.
The leagues will each run from November through March, with the playoffs and league championships to be played in March 2017.
NBA, EMEA senior director, basketball operations, Neal Meyer said: “The Jr. NBA is our key grassroots level programme and we are pleased to work in partnership with Basketball England to inspire more children in England to participate in basketball through a fun and competitive experience.”
Basketball England, education & satellite club manager, Charlie Ford commented: “The Jr. NBA Basketball England League provides young people with a great first experience in the game which we hope will provide the catalyst to continuing to participate and enjoy basketball throughout their lives.”
