The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced today the Jr. NBA Global Championship – Online Asia Pacific and India Camp, a one-day virtual basketball event on July 31 for 39 boys and 39 girls from across Asia Pacific and India.
Selected through social media contests and local youth basketball programs, the 78 boys and girls from eight countries across the region will participate in basketball instruction and life skills sessions led by current and former NBA and WNBA players and Jr. NBA coaches. Twenty of the participants are Filipinos.
Memphis Grizzlies’ Jaren Jackson Jr., Golden State Warriors’ James Wiseman, Las Vegas Aces’ Angel McCoughtry and WNBA Legend Ticha Penicheiro will participate in a live Q&A session and coach young athletes through a series of basketball drills and skills challenges. In addition, Gatorade, an official partner of the Jr. NBA program in Asia, will be facilitating a discussion on the importance of hydration on and off the court.
The 78 youth participants representing eight countries – Australia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam – will have the opportunity to interact with and learn alongside their peers from across the region.
This year, the Jr. NBA Global Championship – an annual youth basketball tournament for the top 13- and 14-year-old boys and girls teams from around the world – will be hosting online events for boys and girls in select countries and territories. In 2018 and 2019, the Jr. NBA Global Championship was held in Orlando, Florida, while in 2020 the event was conducted virtually in response to the pandemic.
Jackson Jr. was selected 4th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2018 NBA Draft and named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. The 6’11” forward averaged 14.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks during the 2020-21 season.
Wiseman was taken 2nd overall by the Golden State Warriors in the 2020 NBA Draft and averaged 11.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 0.9 blocks during the 2020-21 season. As a member of the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team, Wiseman earned a gold medal at the 2017 FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship.
McCoughtry was selected 1st overall by the Atlanta Dream in the 2009 WNBA Draft prior to being awarded the WNBA Rookie of the Year and included to the WNBA All-Rookie Team. A five-time WNBA All-Star, six-time All-WNBA selection and eight-time WNBA All-Defensive Team honoree, McCoughtry has spent the last season with Las Vegas after playing her first 10 seasons with Atlanta. Through July 2021, McCoughtry ranks 15th on the WNBA’s career scoring list (5,785 points) and eighth in steals (626 steals).
Penicheiro, drafted 2nd overall by the Sacramento Monarchs in the 1998 WNBA Draft, is a WNBA Champion, four-time WNBA All-Star, three-time All-WNBA selection and Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame inductee. Named as one of the WNBA’s Top 20 Players of All Time in 2016, Penicheiro spent 15 seasons in the WNBA with the Sacramento Monarchs, Los Angeles Sparks and Chicago Sky.
The Jr. NBA program in Asia aims to improve youth health and wellness and address growing inactivity by integrating basketball into the local physical education curriculum. Since its launch in 2014, the Jr. NBA program has reached more than 27 million boys and girls across Asia, teaching the fundamentals of basketball and the program’s core values of sportsmanship, teamwork, a positive attitude, and respect (S.T.A.R.). The Jr. NBA Coaches Academy – the program’s government-supported train-the-trainers initiative which aims to further local development by establishing standards for how the sport should be coached and enjoyed – has trained more than 75,000 teachers from 54,000 schools in over 56 cities across Asia.
Since 2013, the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA program has reached more than 11 million youth from over 13,000 schools and trained more than 13,000 physical education instructors in India. The 2021 program hosted a 12-week live series via Zoom featuring NBA, WNBA and NBA G League players, legends and coaches that engaged participants in skill development, leadership and life skills sessions.
More information about the Jr. NBA Global Championship can be found at JrNBA.com/GlobalChampionship. To learn more about the Jr. NBA program in Asia, follow the @JrNBAAsia on Facebook, @jrnbaasia on Instagram and visit www.jrnba.asia for updates and program information, including training resources and tips on staying fit.
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