The big stage is set in Orlando as 32 youth teams from around the world, representing 75 countries, will tip off on Tuesday at the 2019 Jr. NBA Global Championship at the ESPN Wide World of Sports.
For the first time a Dallas team will compete in the tournament after Drive Nation won the South Regionals in June, becoming one of eight boys teams from the U.S. competing for Jr. NBA championship title. Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle will attend the event to watch the competition, interact with the youth teams and participate in leadership development programs.
“There’s not many scenarios like that out there and when you get an opportunity to come to Jr. NBA and compete, you got to take that very seriously,” Drive Nation founder and six-time NBA All-Star Jermaine O’Neal said. “It’s been incredible for them to fight and fend for an opportunity and play against international play and be considered one of the best in the world.”
Last week, the Mavs invited Drive Nation to the Mavs’ Lympo Practice Facility and outfitted each player with Mavs branded gear as they toured the court and locker room. Mavs veteran forward Dorian Finney-Smith also stopped by for a visit and posed for photos with the student-athletes and gave them a pep talk before they left for Orlando.
“It’s an amazing experience and it’s given them something to look forward to,” Drive Nation head coach Aaron Espinosa said. “The Mavs designed a special day for us, and our team got to meet one of the Mavs players and interact with staff.
“It helps them understand there are people right here in Dallas that really do care about their well-being as basketball players and as young men in general.”
TOURNAMENT PLAY
The competition will take place Tues.– Sun. at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla. and will air on the FOX Sports family of networks. Mavs play-by-play announcer Mark Followill will call the action along with broadcaster Brian Custer, eight-time NBA All-Star Vince Carter, Sarah Kustok — the YES Network lead analyst for the Brooklyn Nets games — and college basketball analyst Donny Marshall.
FOX Sports will air 16 games throughout the week, totaling 24 hours of programming across FOX, FS1 and FS2, including the girls and boys Global Championship games on Aug. 11 at 2:00 p.m. CT and 3:30 p.m. CT on FOX, respectively. All games will be telecast live and simulcast on FOXSports.com as well as the FOX Sports app.
Followill and Custer will announce the game, while Noah Eagle will serve as a reporter and Charissa Thompson will anchor a pre-game show. Carter, Kustok and Marshall will provide commentary for FOX for the second consecutive year.
The Jr. NBA Global Championship will feature boys and girls divisions, separated into U.S. and international brackets that begin with round-robin play and continue with single-elimination competition. The competition, which aligns with the NBA and USA Basketball Youth Guidelines promoting player health and wellness, will culminate with the winners of the U.S. and international brackets playing in the Global Championship games on Aug. 11.
Supported by long-time league partners FIBA and USA Basketball, the event will bring together the top 32 boys and girls teams (16 U.S. and 16 international) who advanced from regional competitions earlier this year that collectively reached more than 15,000 youth from 75 countries. The 16 international teams (eight boys and eight girls teams) represent Africa, Asia Pacific, Canada, China, Europe & Middle East, India, Latin America and Mexico.
THE JR. NBA GLOBAL CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE
On Sunday, Orlando Magic legend Dennis Scott opened the ceremony, joined by 2019 NBA champion Danny Green and Orlando’s Aaron Gordon. Jennifer Azzi, a 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist, joined NBA player and NBA Cares Ambassador Jason Collins and former NBA player and NBA G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim for the opening ceremonies.
Following the formal opening, the kids engaged in various on-court activities, including a three-point contest and a dance competition.
On Monday morning the youth teams took part in their first life skills seminar: Respect for the Game. The session reinforced life skills that youth should develop to position themselves for success on and off the court.
The session shared tips on how to approach tasks and challenges, including navigating adverse childhood and community experiences, and making the most of opportunities. NBA Player Development experts shared tips on how to build positive, healthy and respectful relationships among players, coaches, parents, and referees.
On Thursday, the teams will take a break from the games to participate in an NBA Cares community service project during the day and a skills competition in the evening that will feature a three-point shooting competition and a dunk exhibition.
During the week-long event, all 32 teams will participate in activities designed to reinforce the Jr. NBA’s core values and provide the players with development opportunities and memorable experiences.
SOUTH REGION ROSTER (DRIVE NATION, DALLAS, TEXAS)
Payton Chism
Alex Cotton
Ty Cox
Jaxson Ford
Ron Holland
Robert Jones
Marlon Linton
Ja’Kobe Walter
Trey Wilson
DRIVE NATION (SOUTH REGION) POOL PLAY SCHEDULE:
TUESDAY, AUGUST 6
2 PM CT
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7
9:30 AM CT
8:00 PM CT
**THE LATE GAME WILL AIR ON FOX FS1**
EVENT SCHEDULE
Aug. 4: Tip-off ceremony and Magic Kingdom Parade
Aug. 6-7: Pool play
Aug 8: NBA Cares Day of Service and Skills Event
Aug. 9: Single elimination tournaments
Aug. 10: International and U.S. Championships
Aug. 11: Global Championships
The following 16 U.S. teams won Jr. NBA Global Championship regional tournaments to advance to Orlando.
U.S. Boys Division:
Central (Drive5 Power Elite; Overland Park, Kan.)*
Mid-Atlantic (Quality Warriors; Upper Marlboro, Md.)
Midwest (The Family; Detroit, Mich.)*
Northeast (K/S Elite All Stars; New York, N.Y.)
Northwest (Dynasty Red; Portland, Ore.)
South (Drive Nation; Dallas, Texas)
Southeast (TSF Mack; Atlanta, Ga.)*
West (City Ballers; Los Angeles, Calif.)
Current and former NBA and WNBA players who are alumni of the U.S. teams include Ariel Atkins (South; Girls), Brooke McCarty (South; Girls), Candice Wiggins (West; Girls), Chiney Ogwumike (South; Girls), Draymond Green (Midwest; Boys), Kelsey Mitchell (Midwest; Girls), Kelsey Plum (West; Girls), Nneka Ogwumike (South; Girls) and Miles Bridges (Midwest; Boys). There are also several players who have ties to the U.S. programs, including Bol Bol (Central; Boys), Danny Green (Northeast; Boys), Jerami Grant (Mid-Atlantic; Boys), Jerian Grant (Mid-Atlantic; Boys), Jermaine O’Neal (South; Boys), Josh Hart (Mid-Atlantic; Boys), Kevin Durant (Mid-Atlantic; Boys), Kyrie Irving (Northeast; Boys), Rod Strickland (Northeast; Boys), Shelvin Mack (Southeast; Boys) and Victor Oladipo (Mid-Atlantic; Boys).
The Jr. NBA Global Championship will feature boys and girls divisions, separated into U.S. and international brackets that begin with round-robin play and continue with single-elimination competition. The competition, which aligns with the NBA and USA Basketball Youth Guidelines promoting player health and wellness, will culminate with the winners of the U.S. and international brackets playing in the Global Championship games on Aug. 11. On Thursday the teams will take a break from gameplay to participate in an NBA Cares community service project during the day and a skills competition in the evening that will feature a three-point shooting competition and a dunk exhibition.
During the week-long event, all 32 teams will participate in activities designed to reinforce the Jr. NBA’s core values and provide the players with development opportunities and memorable experiences. In the inaugural Jr. NBA Global Championship, the Central girls (Kansas City, Mo.) defeated the Europe girls team 68-38, while the Central boys (Overland Park, Kan.) defeated the Africa & Middle East boys team 60-50 in the Global Championship games. Sixteen players who participated in the inaugural event will be returning to play in the second Jr. NBA Global Championship.
More information about the Jr. NBA Global Championship can be found at jrnba.com/globalchampionship.
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