Canada Basketball – ORONTO, ON (May 3, 2019) – The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Canada Basketball today announced the dates and locations of Canadian qualifying tournaments for the second Jr. NBA Global Championship.  Provincial club teams made up of 13- and 14-year-old boys and girls will compete in regional qualifying tournaments for the chance to represent Canada at the second annual global youth tournament, which will be held Aug. 6-11 at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Fla.  

The Jr. NBA Global Championship Canada Regional tipped off with provincial games to determine the nine winning teams that will advance to play a single elimination game against a neighboring province for a chance to advance to the Jr. NBA Global Championship Canada Regional Finals in June.  The competitions are as follows: 

Canada Atlantic Regional: NL vs. NS vs. PEI – May 4, 2019 – Halifax, NS

Canada East Regional*: New Brunswick vs. Quebec – May 11, 2019 – Montreal, QC

Canada West Regional: Alberta vs. British Columbia – June 1, 2019 – Langley, BC

Canada Prairies Regional: Manitoba vs. Saskatchewan – June 1, 2019 – Winnipeg, MB

 * Host region, Ontario, receives a bye

The four winning teams and Ontario will compete at the Jr. NBA Global Championship Canada Regional Finals at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre from June 13-16, which will see the winning teams represent Canada in Orlando against top boys and girls teams from around the world. 

Last year, Denver Nuggets’ Jamal Murray made a surprise appearance at the first Jr. NBA Global Championship Canada Regional Finals in St. Catharines, meeting with players and coaches and sharing inspiring stories from his journey from Waterloo to the NBA. 

“Enthusiasm for the Jr. NBA Global Championship in Canada continues to grow, as thousands of boys and girls will compete again this spring for the chance to represent Canada on the global stage in Orlando,” said Dan MacKenzie, Managing Director, NBA Canada.  “The NBA and Canada Basketball are proud to continue providing best-in-class basketball development opportunities to youth across the country.”  

“Canada Basketball is excited to once again partner with the NBA as Canada’s Jr. NBA Global Championship qualifying tournaments return this summer,” said Glen Grunwald, President & CEO, Canada Basketball.  “The Jr. NBA Global Championship gives Canada’s top boys and girls U14 youth basketball teams a unique opportunity to compete on the international stage while developing core character skills that will last a lifetime.”

Gatorade will once again support the Jr. NBA Global Championship in Canada, expanding their programming across the country.  At regional tournaments, the NBA will recognize the players who best exemplify the Jr. NBA’s core values – Teamwork, Respect, Determination and Community.  In addition to presenting the Determination Award, Gatorade will help to fuel athletes with sideline product and highlight elite Canadian basketball through custom content that features teams as they advance through the qualification process.

At the inaugural Jr. NBA Global Championship, the Welland Warriors (girls) advanced to the international semifinals, and the Brampton Breakdown (boys) advanced to the international finals.  Both Canadian teams took part in life skills programming centered on the Jr. NBA’s core values, in addition to meeting NBA players Vince Carter and Jr. NBA Global Championship Ambassador Dwyane Wade.  

During the 2018-19 season, the NBA and its teams plan to reach more than 51M youth in 75 countries through league play, in-school programming, clinics, skills challenges, and other outreach events.

All coaches participating in the Jr. NBA Global Championship Canada Regional will be required to be trained in Canada Basketball’s National Coaching Certification Program and require a background check.  The qualification process is in line with Long Term Athlete Development and safety in sport principles with implemented minimum playing time and no zone rules.  Games will follow FIBA rules adjusted to eight-minute quarters due to the age and stage of development.  Youth at the Jr. NBA Global Championship will not only compete on the court but will also receive off-court life skills education and participate in NBA Cares community service projects.

Please contact provincial basketball federations for more information regarding qualifying competitions.  More information about the Jr. NBA Global Championship can be found at jrnba.ca.

About the NBA
The NBA is a global sports and media business built around four professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, the NBA G League and the NBA 2K League.  The NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 50 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 100,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents.  NBA rosters at the start of the 2018-19 season featured 108 international players from 42 countries and territories.  NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass.  The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with 1.6 billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms. Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes.
 
About Canada Basketball
Canada Basketball is the National Sporting Organization for the sport of Basketball in Canada. Canada Basketball is respected worldwide and is recognized by the International Amateur Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the Government of Canada as the sole governing body of the sport of amateur basketball in Canada. Canada Basketball, a not-for-profit organization, represents all basketball interests, provides leadership, coordination and direction in all areas of the sport of basketball.
 
Contact:  
NBA: Ashton Lawrence, 416.682.2060, ashlawrence@nba.com       
Canada Basketball: Matthew Walker, 289.244.9993, mwalker@basketball.ca