NBA Reveals Jr. World Championship; Dwyane Wade, Candace Parker as Ambassadors
Basketball is getting its own version of the Little League World Series.
The NBA announced the inception of the Jr. NBA World Championship on Monday, a global youth basketball tournament for boys and girls 14 years old or under that is set to debut in 2018.
"The Jr. NBA World Championship represents another significant step in our effort to promote youth basketball globally," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a press release. "And in addition to high-level competition on the court, participants will learn from NBA and WNBA veterans and coaches the values of the game and the most appropriate training techniques."
The tournament will be comprised of 32 total teams, 16 apiece from boys and girls' divisions. Structured similarly to baseball's Little League World Series, there will be a United States bracket and an International bracket, each with eight regional winners. Events to determine regional winners in the U.S. (Central, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Northeast, Northwest, South, Southeast and West) and internationally (Africa and Middle East, Asia Pacific, Canada, China, Europe, India, Mexico and South America) will be held in spring 2018.
The World Championship will be held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Florida, from Aug. 7-12, 2018. The teams will compete in round-robin pool play before single-elimination matchups begin before the Aug. 12 championship.
USA Basketball and FIBA are working in conjunction with the NBA to ensure all youth basketball protocols—most notably safety and game rules—are followed. All coaches must be certified under USA Basketball or FIBA coaching guidelines.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Dwyane Wade and Los Angeles Sparks star Candace Parker will serve as ambassadors for the game, per the release.
"I am excited to serve as a global ambassador for the Jr. NBA World Championship," Wade said. "Basketball means so much to me and my family, and I look forward to helping the NBA improve the game at the youth level for the next generation of players from around the world."
"The Jr. NBA World Championship is a great initiative that will connect U.S. and international youth in a meaningful way," Parker said. "As a global ambassador, I'm looking forward to making a positive impact on the participants, both on and off the court."
Wade and Parker were chosen as ambassadors not only for their stature in basketball (16 All-Star appearances, four championships combined) but because they are both parents and have longstanding histories growing the game with youth camps.
Broadcast information about the event has not yet been made publicly available.
