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October 7, 2022
The National Basketball Association (NBA) began a weeklong series of youth engagement programs on Monday in collaboration with the Atlanta Hawks and the Milwaukee Bucks as part of the NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2022.
With the intention of reaching nearly 2,000 youth, coaches and basketball stakeholders across the UAE and Europe, the week consists of clinics and camps to teach the game. Alongside this, activities promote health and wellness and aim to empower the next generation of female players and coaches. It also features the league’s first Jr. NBA week in the Middle East, which is focused on helping grow and improve youth basketball at the grassroots level for players, coaches and parents.
The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2022 marks the league’s first games in the UAE and the Arabian Gulf. The Hawks and defending NBA champion Bucks will play their second pre-season game tomorrow following their October 6 kick-off. The games are part of a multiyear collaboration between the NBA and the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, which saw the launch of the first Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi league earlier this year. The youth basketball league includes around 450 boys and girls aged 11 to 14 from schools across the country. Other facets of the partnership include interactive fan events featuring appearances from current and former NBA stars, an NBA 2K league exhibition event and a series of NBA fit clinics.
“As someone who grew up loving basketball, I know first-hand how amazing this sport is. It truly brings communities together, builds teamwork, encourages leadership skills and promotes healthier lifestyles, creating lifelong memories along the way which is what Abu Dhabi is all about,” said His Excellency Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak.
A few of the week’s activities include:
- Three youth development events led by Hawks players and coaches on Monday. Held at the NYU Abu Dhabi campus’s three-court facility, it included basketball clinics for kids from the Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League and the Abu Dhabi Special Olympics program. There was also an NBA FIT clinic for local youth on the importance of living healthy and active lifestyles with an emphasis on mindfulness, nutrition, rest and recovery.
- On Oct 3 and 4, Hawks and Bucks assistant coaches hosted Coaches Clinics for more than 300 male and female aspiring basketball coaches from across the UAE. The clinics taught best practice coaching techniques for team and player development at any level.
- On Oct 4 and 5, the NBA conducted eight Jr. NBA clinics for boys and girls at local schools across Abu Dhabi. NBA Legend Dominique Wilkins and WNBA Legend Ticha Penicheiro made appearances at the clinics, which focused on basketball skill development with an emphasis on teamwork, positive attitude and effort, and healthy habits.
- On Oct 4, the NBA hosted the top boys and girls from Jr. NBA leagues across Europe and the Middle East and the NBA Basketball School in Dubai, at an Elite Training Camp in Abu Dhabi. They have been participating in training, practices and competitions against the NBA Basketball School from Dubai and the UAE under-18 Men’s National Team, as well as life skills programming and cultural activities in the local community, which culminate on Oct 9.
- Tomorrow, the NBA will host a Her Time To Play clinic for 70 girls with participants engaging in a basketball clinic and conversations focused on female empowerment and opportunities for women in sports and leadership. The Her Time To Play initiative is dedicated to championing girls and women through sport and providing them a forum to connect, collaborate and actively engage with the game of basketball and one another.
- The league is also hosting nine youth basketball clinics at NBA District, an immersive, interactive fan event. The clinics feature a range of basketball programming for local youth and Jr. NBA League, NBA Basketball School and Special Olympics players.
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