What to know about the Jr. NBA Leagues, a youth basketball program coming to Louisville
When the Jr. NBA Leagues open play this fall, giving boys and girls ages 6 to 14 the chance to play youth basketball in NBA- and WNBA-branded leagues, it'll be in some of the pro game's most notable markets.
There will be Jr. NBA Leagues in Philadelphia, home of the 76ers, and San Antonio, the Spurs' stomping grounds. And Washington, D.C., home to the NBA's Wizards and WNBA's Mystics.
And in Louisville.
Leagues will tip off in 11 cities in November, four of them — Louisville; Boise, Idaho; Kansas City, Missouri; and Omaha, Nebraska — without an NBA or WNBA team.
David Krichavsky, the NBA's senior vice president and head of youth basketball development, said it wasn't a difficult call.
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"We really wanted a good mix of some larger traditional markets and some smaller markets," Krichavsky told The Courier Journal. "Louisville in particular is a passionate basketball market with a vibrant youth and amateur sports community."
In addition to Philadelphia, San Antonio and Washington, D.C., four other markets with either NBA or WNBA teams will be part of the November launch: New Orleans, Sacramento, Las Vegas and Seattle. The NBA's hope is to expand nationwide with a goal of reaching nearly 500,000 annual participants by 2027.
So what exactly are the Jr. NBA Leagues? And how do you and your hoops-obsessed kids get involved? Krichavsky explained the details:
What is Jr. NBA?
It's the NBA and WNBA's official youth basketball development program for girls and boys. The NBA has been involved in youth basketball around the world for decades, but relaunched the Jr. NBA program in 2015 with the goal of "finding ways to positively impact the basketball ecosystem," Krichavsky said.
The initiative's website, jr.nba.com, has information about the Jr. NBA Leagues and resources for coaches and parents, including an instructional video curriculum.
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What are the Jr. NBA Leagues?
Krichavsky called the leagues "our most expansive grassroots basketball initiative in the U.S." to date, an NBA- and WNBA-sponsored league that will allow teams from existing youth programs — schools, YMCAs, Boys & Girls Clubs, etc. — a chance to compete in an organized league that will include NBA- and WNBA-branded uniforms, plus access to coaching tools the NBA says will be "best in class."
Why are the Jr. NBA Leagues starting now?
"We want to deliver safe, healthy, rewarding basketball experiences to young players that lead them to come back and want to continue to participate and develop a lifelong love for our sport," Krichavsky said. "And we also think that connection to NBA and WNBA teams will drive deeper affinity with our league and team brands."
In part, it's a reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic, Krichavsky said. Though AAU and travel basketball leagues for teenagers — including juggernauts like the Nike EYBL and Adidas 3SSB — have bounced back post-pandemic, some youth programs have lost their footing.
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That's particularly true in underserved communities.
"A lot of the community-based organizations have struggled to survive or get kids back to play," Krichavsky said. "And we know the decline in community-based play, the impact of that isn't felt equally across socioeconomic groups, or racial or gender lines, which is another reason we felt like we needed to look at our overall portfolio of programs and particularly do more for recreational youth basketball,"
Are the teams set for the Jr. NBA Leagues in Louisville?
No. The NBA and WNBA are working with RCX, a leader in youth sports camps and events that has "some established relationships in Louisville that we think will facilitate growth," Krichavsky said.
But youth groups interested in joining the Leagues can connect via the Jr.NBA.com website under the "Start A League" tab now. There's also a signup form for interested players.
The Jr. NBA doesn't provide coaches, but there are online resources available to the coaches of participating teams.
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Is there a cost for the Jr. NBA Leagues?
There is a fee for organizations, Krichavsky said, that grants them access to the digital tools and resources available for coaching and organizing leagues as well as official team-branded jerseys.
Does this mean Louisville is getting an NBA team?
No. The leagues are part of the NBA's youth basketball initiative. It's independent of any potential expansion decisions.
"Louisville is a vibrant basketball market, from the youth level through the amateur and college level, in addition to support for professional basketball," Krichavsky said. "The strength of the passion of the basketball community in Louisville was absolutely a major consideration in why we selected Louisville to be a pilot community."
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: NBA/WNBA youth basketball program coming to Louisville
