News | Aug 21 2018

Inaugural Junior NBA World Championship hosts Day of Service

Last week saw the inaugural Jr. NBA World Championship take place at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World® Resort. 32 teams from around the world competed in Orlando and for one of the tournament days, all players participated in a Day of Service.

The Jr. NBA World Championship is a first-of-its-kind global youth basketball tournament for the top 14U teams from around the world. The tournament featured boys and girls divisions, each comprised of 16 regional champions (eight U.S. teams and eight international teams).

As part of the championship, more than 300 Jr. NBA athletes competing in the tournament worked alongside former NBA and WNBA players and local officials in a series of refurbishment projects as part of the Jr. NBA World Championship Day of Service in Kissimmee. 

The projects were done in conjunction with KaBOOM!, a national non-profit dedicated to giving all kids the childhood they deserve through great, safe places to play.

All Jr. NBA World Championship athletes and coaches, former Orlando Magic players, Bo Outlaw and Nick Anderson, Mayor Jose Alvarez, former NBA player and NBA Cares Ambassador Jason Collins, WNBA Legend and Beyond Sport Ambassador Tamika Catchings, and Jr. NBA Leadership Council Chairman Martin Dempsey assisted community volunteers with landscaping activities, playground building and painting and the hosting of a Jr. NBA basketball clinic for local children at Oak Street Park, which serves more than 1,200 youth in Kissimmee annually.