NBA Africa (www.NBA.com), Stanbic Bank and the Luol Deng Foundation have announced that the first Jr. NBA League in South Sudan will begin in early 2024 and will include 450 boys and girls ages 16 and under from Juba during the league’s inaugural season.
To mark the occasion, NBA Africa and Stanbic Bank also unveiled a new basketball court at St. Mark’s Orthodox School in Munuki, Juba, which will host a Jr. NBA tournament featuring 12 teams of boys and girls ages 16 and under.
The court unveiling was attended by Stanbic Bank Chief Executive for Kenya and South Sudan, Dr. Joshua Oigara; NBA Africa CEO Victor Williams; NBA Africa Head of Basketball Operations Franck Traore; Luol Deng Foundation CEO Arek Deng; and two-time NBA All-Star and Basketball Africa League (BAL) Global Ambassador Luol Deng.
NBA Africa CEO Victor Williams stated, “We’re excited to work with Stanbic Bank and the Luol Deng Foundation to launch our first Jr. NBA League in South Sudan as part of our continued commitment to making basketball more accessible to the youth of Africa.”
Stanbic Bank Chief Executive for Kenya and South Sudan, Dr. Joshua Oigara, expressed the bank’s commitment to empowering communities and supporting initiatives such as the Jr. NBA League.
Luol Deng, CEO of the Luol Deng Foundation, emphasized the importance of using basketball to create pathways for South Sudanese youth to reach their potential and lead healthy lifestyles.
The Jr. NBA, the league’s global youth basketball program, aims to grow and improve the youth basketball experience for players, coaches, and parents. It has directly reached over 165,000 youth across 18 African countries.
Luol Deng, a former NBA player, has been involved in various youth development initiatives in Africa and is a BAL Global Ambassador.
For more information please contact Pawel Weszka, NBA Africa PR&Communications, at pweszka@nba.com or +27 10 007 2666.
About NBA Africa:NBA Africa is an affiliate of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and conducts the league’s business in Africa. The NBA has a long history in Africa and opened its African headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2010.
About Stanbic Bank:Stanbic Bank has been providing banking services in South Sudan since 2004 and supports various sports and cultural initiatives, including basketball.