The National Basketball Association (NBA), Valencia City Council and Valencia Basket has announced that the second edition of the Jr. NBA European Finals presented by Kellogg’s – an elite youth basketball tournament featuring boys and girls ages 15 and under from six European countries – will be held at Valencia Basket’s l’Alqueria del Basket training facility in Valencia, Spain from Wednesday, June 26 – Saturday, June 29.
The Jr. NBA European Finals Tournament presented by Kellogg’s will feature boys and girls divisions, each comprised of six teams of 12 top youth players from England, Italy, Lithuania, Spain, the Netherlands and one more country to be confirmed at a later date.
The players will also take part in life skills sessions, skill challenges, basketball clinics, a three-point contest, an All-Star game, and community outreach activities. Select NBA European Ambassadors will also attend the tournament.
The announcement was made at a launch event in Valencia on the 10 April by NBA Vice President of Basketball Operations, Europe and Middle East, Neal Meyer; Valencia City Councilor for Sports, Rocío Gil; and General Manager Valencia Basket Club, Enric Carbonell, who were joined by NBA European Ambassador Dino Rađa (Croatia) and WNBA European Ambassador Sonja Vasić (Serbia).
As part of the launch event, the NBA and Valencia City Council authorities unveiled two newly refurbished basketball courts for the local community and hosted a 3-on-3 game, featuring guest content creators including Drafteados.
Following the event, Rađa and Vasić held Jr. NBA clinics for youth at local schools and at the l’Alqueria del Basket facility.
“We’re thrilled to bring together elite youth teams from across Europe to Valencia for the second edition of the Jr. NBA European Finals Tournament in June.
"On behalf of the NBA, I want to thank Valencia City Council and Valencia Basket for their continued support in making this event a reality and for helping refurbish these beautiful courts that will provide safe spaces for youth to play the game year-round.”
"We firmly believe that international exposure is the key to unleashing the limitless potential of our young English basketball talent.
"The Jr. NBA is a transformative experience that expands horizons, hones skills, and can prepare our young basketballers to shine on the global stage.
"As part of this year's Basketball England talent programme, we are excited to work with the NBA once again to select representative England teams to compete at this prestigious European Finals."
At the inaugural 2023 Jr. NBA European Finals, the London Lions sent U15 boys and U15 girls squads to participate amongst some of the best players of their generation. The players were selected for each team after trials, which were led by London Lions captain and Commonwealth Games silver medallist Shanice Beckford-Norton.
The Jr. NBA is the NBA's global youth basketball program for boys and girls, which teaches the fundamental skills, as well as the core values of the game – teamwork, respect, determination and community – at the grassroots level in an effort to help grow and improve the youth basketball experience for players, coaches and parents.
During the 2022/23 season, the Jr. NBA collectively reached 50,000 young people in 28 countries across Europe and the Middle East.
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