SINGAPORE – Following a successful pilot run last year which attracted around 3,000 participants, the Jr National Basketball Association (NBA) programme will return to Singapore again this year from June 16 to Aug 31.

The Jr NBA, the league’s global youth basketball participation programme for boys and girls, aims to teach the fundamental skills and core values of basketball such as sportsmanship, teamwork and respect.

The aim of the programme, which will once again be co-organised by Sport Singapore’s (SportSG) ActiveSG Basketball Academy, is to grow and improve the youth basketball experience for players, coaches and parents.

“We look forward to the return of the Jr NBA to give more children the chance to learn and grow through playing basketball, and to help them develop a passion for the sport,” said Neo Beng Siang, who is the principal of the ActiveSG Basketball academy and the head coach of the Singapore Slingers.

“Following the conclusion of last year’s programme, a large number of participants joined the ActiveSG Basketball Academy because they wanted to continue playing basketball, (which is) a strong testament to the efficacy of the programme.

“Together with the NBA, we hope to continue developing the game in order to expand the pool of players in Singapore and for our national team.”

This year’s programme will tip-off on June 16 with a workshop for participating coaches.

This will be followed by a two-day open clinic for boys and girls that will be held at the new Tampines Hub sports hall.

A six-session regional training programme will then be held to determine the top 200 boys and girls – aged 10-14 – who will be selected to take part in the Jr NBA Singapore National Training camp on July 1.

The three-day training camp will see a current or former NBA player making a guest appearance, and will culminate in the selection of eight boys and eight girls to feature in the Jr NBA Singapore All-Star team.

The chosen players will go on to participate in an overseas NBA experience with their South-east Asian counterparts from Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines later in the year.

“We believe there is a real opportunity to improve the youth basketball experience and enhance player health and wellness by implementing guidelines for how the game should be played and taught at the grassroots level,” said Francesco Suarez, who is NBA Asia Vice President, Global Marketing Partnerships,

“With the continued support of SportSG, we look forward to bringing the Jr NBA experience to more youth, coaches and parents in Singapore for many years to come.”

The Jr NBA programme is free and open to boys and girls aged between five to 14.

For more information and to register for the programme, go to www.jrnba.asia/singapore. To register for the coaches workshop, visit www.myactivesg.com.