The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) culminated the expanded second season of the Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League in a finals occasion on 12 March on the NYU Abu Dhabi campus that includes particular appearances by 11-time NBA All-Star Allen Iverson and two-time WNBA champion Lisa Leslie.
Iverson and Leslie had been readily available to work together with the younger gamers and offered awards throughout the closing ceremony, which noticed the second annual Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League champions topped, Cranleigh School for the ladies workforce, the boys league A went to American Community School (ACS) and the boys league B went to the Australian School of Abu Dhabi.
The Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League expanded from 30 groups in its inaugural season in March 2022 to 60 groups for this season. The programme is a part of a groundbreaking multiyear partnership between the NBA and DCT Abu Dhabi that noticed Abu Dhabi host the first-ever preseason NBA video games within the Arabian Gulf in October 2022.
A 14-year NBA veteran, Iverson was named the NBA Most Valuable Player in 2001, named to the All-NBA First and Second Teams thrice every and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. Leslie is an eight-time WNBA All-Star throughout 11 seasons within the league, a three-time WNBA MVP, a four-time Olympic gold medalist and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.
The Jr. NBA is the league’s international youth basketball programme for girls and boys, educating the basic expertise and core values of the sport – teamwork, respect, willpower and group – on the grassroots stage in an effort to assist develop and enhance the youth basketball expertise for gamers, coaches and fogeys. The Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League goals to advertise the values of the sport and encourage youth to guide an lively and wholesome life-style by way of participation in sport.
The partnership additionally sees DCT Abu Dhabi, beneath “Experience Abu Dhabi”, the tourism promotion initiative of the UAE’s capital, function the Official Tourism Destination Partner of the NBA within the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and China.
For extra data on the Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League, which is operated by Gulf Sports Media FZ LLC (buying and selling as Sport360), go to OWQLO and observe the NBA and Jr. NBA on Facebook (Facebook.com/jrnba), Instagram (@jrnba and @nbaarabic), Twitter (@jrnba and @nbaarabic) and Snapchat (@nbaarabic). Fans may obtain the NBA App for information, updates, scores, stats and movies and buy the newest NBA merchandise on the NBA Store situated at Yas Mall on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
