The NBA has announced a series of youth basketball programs to be hosted in conjunction with the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks as part of the 2022 NBA Abu Dhabi Games.
The week of activities, which includes the league’s first Jr. NBA week in the Middle East, will run Monday, October 3 through Sunday, October 9 and will attract nearly 2,000 youth, coaches and basketball enthusiasts from across the Reach United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Middle East and Europe. Jr. NBA Week consists of youth basketball clinics, camps and demonstrations focused on teaching the game of basketball, promoting health and wellness, and empowering the next generation of players and coaches. The events will feature players and coaches from Hawks and Bucks, NBA and WNBA legends, as well as Don Showalter, US Basketball’s Head Coach/Coach Director, Youth & Sport Development.
The 2022 NBA Abu Dhabi Games will see the Hawks and 2021 NBA Champion Bucks play two preseason games on Thursday 6th October and Saturday 8th October at 20:00 GST at the Etihad Arena on Yas Iceland in Abu Dhabi will play what are the first matches of the league matches in the United Arab Emirates and the Arabian Gulf. The games are part of a landmark multi-year collaboration between the NBA and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), which saw the launch earlier this year of the inaugural Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League, a youth basketball league for 450 boys and girls aged 11 to 14 from schools across Abu Dhabi. The collaboration also includes a variety of interactive fan events featuring performances by current and former NBA players, a series of NBA FIT clinics promoting health and wellness, and an NBA 2K League exhibition event.
Here’s an overview of the week’s activities…
Atlanta Hawks youth program
On October 3, as part of Jr. NBA Week, Hawks players and coaches will lead three simultaneous youth development events on the three-court NYU Abu Dhabi campus, including boys’ and girls’ basketball classes of the inaugural Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League and the Abu Dhabi Special Olympics program as well as an NBA FIT clinic for local youth that will focus on the importance of a healthy and active lifestyle with an emphasis on mindfulness, nutrition, rest and recovery. The Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League participants will then attend the game on October 6th.
Clinics for NBA coaches
On October 3rd and 4th, Hawks assistant coaches Joe Prunty and Mike Longabardi and Bucks assistant coaches Mike Dunlap and Vince Legarza will each host Coaches Clinics for more than 300 male and female basketball coaches from across the United Arab Emirates. The clinics teach coaching techniques and best practices for team and player development at all levels.
Milwaukee Bucks youth program
On October 4, as part of Jr. NBA Week, Bucks players and coaches will guide players from the Dubai NBA Basketball School and Jr. NBA Elite Training Camp through a series of basketball drills, skill stations and challenges at the NYU Abu Dhabi campus.
Jr. NBA school clinics
On October 4th and 5th, also as part of Jr. NBA Week, the NBA will host eight Jr. NBA courses for boys and girls at local schools across Abu Dhabi, two of which will be hosted by NBA legend Dominique Wilkins and WNBA -Legend Ticha will be visited Penicheiro (Portugal). The clinics will focus on developing basketball skills, with an emphasis on teamwork, positivity and effort, and healthy habits.
NBA Hoops For Troops Meet & Greets
In partnership with the United Service Organizations (USO), the NBA will host members of the US military for meetings and greetings with NBA legends at both games.
NBA Basketball School Showcase
On October 4-5, youth athletes from the NBA Basketball School in Dubai, the only full-time basketball program in the UAE for boys and girls aged 6 to 18, will travel to Abu Dhabi to participate in a multi-day basketball development program, including a Training session on October 4th led by Showalter and with a presentation on the NYU Abu Dhabi campus on October 5th. On October 6, the league’s first NBA Basketball School Workshop will bring together NBA Basketball School partners and operators across Europe and the Middle East to collaborate and share best practices.
Jr. NBA Elite Training Camp
From October 4th to 9th, as part of Jr. NBA Week, the NBA will host 25 of the top boys and girls from the Jr. NBA leagues from across Europe and the Middle East, as well as the NBA Basketball School in Dubai at an elite training camp in Abu Dhabi. The athletes, who hail from 11 countries and were selected after a Jr. NBA Elite Camp in Rome in May, will also take part in training, practice and competitions against the NBA Basketball School of Dubai and the UAE Men’s U18 National Team B. Life skills programming and cultural activities in the local community.
NBA District Youth Basketball Clinics
On October 5th, 7th, 8th and 9th, the league will host nine youth basketball classes at the NBA District, an immersive, interactive fan event that will be held at Manarat Al Saadiyat in conjunction with the 2022 NBA Abu Dhabi Games . Part of Jr NBA week, the clinics offer a variety of basketball programs for local youth and Jr. players from the NBA League, NBA Basketball School and Special Olympics.
Make a wish experience
In partnership with DCT Abu Dhabi and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the NBA will host four local children and their families at the October 6 game. Kids receive awesome items and take part in a meet and greet with an NBA legend.
Your time to play clinic
On October 8th, as part of Jr. NBA week, the NBA will host a “Her Time To Play” clinic on the NYU Abu Dhabi campus for 70 girls from the Jr. NBA Elite Training Camp and NBA Basketball School in Dubai . Attendees will participate in a basketball clinic and talks focused on women’s empowerment and opportunities for women in sport and leadership, highlighted by a Q&A with Penicheiro. Her Time To Play is an initiative dedicated to empowering girls and women through sport and providing a forum for them to connect, collaborate and actively engage with the game of basketball and each other.
