Jr. NBA Europe and Middle East Elite Camp begins in Italy

The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced today that a four-day Jr. NBA Europe and Middle East Elite Camp will be held at the Stella Azzurra in Rome, Italy, from Wednesday, May 4 through Saturday, May 7.

The Jr. NBA EME Elite Camp will feature 60 boys and girls ages 13-14 from 25 countries across Europe and the Middle East currently conducting Jr. NBA programs and will focus on developing positional skills, Focus on shooting and skill competitions, culminating in three-on-three and five-on-five matches.

The camp will be run by NBA Basketball Operations staff and coaches from the Jr. NBA leagues in Europe and the Middle East. Former NBA and WNBA players and NBA Europe Ambassadors Anastasia Kostaki (Greece), Zaza Pachulia (Georgia), Vladimir Radmanović (Montenegro) and Ronny Turiaf (France), as well as former NBA head coach Ryan Saunders will also be in attendance and the youth players work out. Saunders will also lead an NBA coaching clinic for the Jr. NBA coaches and invited local coaches.

“We are excited to welcome 60 of the best boys and girls from across Europe and the Middle East to the Stella Azzurra facilities in Rome,” said Neal Meyer, NBA associate vice president of basketball operations, Europe and Middle East. “The Jr. NBA EME Elite Camp offers these developing players a unique and exciting opportunity to compete with their peers from other countries and learn from established coaches as they advance in their fledgling careers.”

“I look forward to seeing the talent of young hopefuls from our region at this camp,” Pachulia said. “That kind of immersive basketball experience will be invaluable as they move into the next phase of their basketball development.”

“It’s my pleasure to mentor and evaluate these young players and support aspiring coaches in their quest for better players,” said Saunders. “I know they will learn lessons from this camp that will help them continue to grow as players, coaches and people in the years to come.”

Jr. NBA EME Elite Camp is supported by Official NBA Partners Nilox and San Carlo. Nilox will sponsor the Shooting Challenge and the NBA Coaching Clinic, while San Carlo will sponsor a Special Olympics Unified Clinic and the camp’s Sportsmanship Awards.

The Jr. NBA, the league’s global youth basketball program for boys and girls, teaches the fundamental skills and core values ​​of the game—teamwork, respect, determination, and community—at the grassroots level to help grow and improve the youth basketball experience for players, coaches and parents. During the 2021-22 season, the Jr. NBA will reach nearly 37,000 youth across 28 countries in Europe and the Middle East.

Below is the full list of boys and girls attending the Jr. NBA Europe and Middle East (EME) Elite Camp:

GIRL LIST:

LINEUP OF THE BOYS: