The event features 16 girls teams and 16 boys teams. Ten sponsors will activate when the action gets underway this week near Orlando.getty images
Year two of the Jr. NBA Global Championship is bringing double the number of sponsors and an expected new streaming media deal as the league offers partners activation opportunities during what otherwise is a sleepy month in the NBA.
“A big focus for us as we look from year one to year two is to increase the scale and reach of the event,” said David Krichavsky, senior vice president and head of youth development for the NBA. “We’ve partnered with USA Basketball and added a new layer of local qualifying that included 14 NBA and WNBA teams.”
The NBA now has 10 sponsors activating around the Jr. NBA Global Championship, which is set for Aug. 6-11 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando. The event features 32 top 13- and 14-year-old teams — 16 boys and 16 girls teams. Half of them are from the U.S and the other half are from other countries.
Fox Sports will air 16 games live, totaling 24 hours of programming across Fox, FS1 and FS2, including the girls and boys championship games on Aug. 11 on Fox. The games will be simulcast on FoxSports.com and the Fox Sports app. The NBA at press time also was working to finalize a deal that would stream every game outside of the 16 Fox games.
Partners that activated at last year’s Jr. NBA Global Championship and are returning this year are Fanatics, Gatorade, Kaiser Permanente and Spalding, with new partners this year to include AT&T, Beats by Dre, EA, HomeCourt and Tencent. USA Basketball and FIBA have teamed with the NBA to help develop the event. Additional off-court health and youth development programs are being featured this year. Kaiser Permanente will host three days of life skills development sessions led by health experts from its company and the NBA.
“Partners are looking at year-round activation and communication around the NBA and this is a nice way to continue that participation and amplify their message through the youth level and ultimately the next generation of fans,” said Kerry Tatlock, senior vice president of marketing partnerships for the NBA.
The NBA launched the Jr. NBA Championship to become more deeply involved in youth basketball from both a player development standpoint and a business approach.
“We see an opportunity to build out a new event on the NBA calendar, and as we look to the future, we believe it will be a tent-pole property in the NBA and on the sports calendar,” Krichavsky said.
