The Jr. NBA Global Championship is a youth basketball tournament for the top 14U/8th Grade boys and girls teams from around the world. Qualifying competitions tip off in March and run through June, with the top 32 boys and girls teams receiving all-expenses-paid trips to compete in the Jr. NBA Global Championship.

U.S.: The Jr. NBA will host eight (8) Jr. NBA Global Championship USA Basketball regional tournaments – Central, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Northeast, Northwest, South, Southeast, and West – during the spring and summer. These three-day regional tournaments will consist of pool play competition followed by single-elimination bracket play. Each team will be guaranteed a minimum of four (4) games.

International: The Jr. NBA Global Championship international competition structure varies by region. One (1) boys and one (1) girls team will advance from each of the eight (8) international regions: Africa, Asia Pacific, Canada, China, Europe & Middle East, India, Latin America, and Mexico. See the  International Regionals page for more details about international competition.

Global Championship: Sixteen (16) boys teams and sixteen (16) girls teams will advance to play in the Jr. NBA Global Championship in August. The teams representing each region will be separated into U.S. and international brackets that include pool play competition followed by single-elimination bracket play. Winners of the U.S. and international brackets will play in the boys and girls Global Championship games.

Additionally, youth at Jr. NBA Global Championship events will not only compete on the court, but they will also participate in off-court life skills programming.

All Jr. NBA Global Championship events – both U.S. and Internationally – are subject to change, postponement, and/or cancellation at the discretion of the Jr. NBA.

The Jr. NBA Global Championship is a 14U/8th Grade tournament for boys and girls.

For U.S. and international competitions, in accordance with the NBA and USA Basketball Youth Guidelines:

• Athletes cannot turn 15-years-old prior to September 1 or
• Grade exception: Athletes must be enrolled in the 8th Grade during the academic year and cannot turn 16-years-old prior to September 1

Coaches interested in having their U.S.-based teams compete in one (1) of eight (8) Jr. NBA Global Championship USA Basketball regional tournaments can submit a “Coach Interest Form“.

Interest to participate in the Jr. NBA Global Championship USA Basketball Regionals will exceed our ability to accommodate teams. The Jr. NBA will seek to achieve a highly competitive and diverse tournament field that includes club and community-based teams, with a priority focus on all teams in the tournament reflecting the  Jr. NBA’s mission and values.

Submitting an online “Coach Interest Form” does not confirm entry into the Jr. NBA Global Championship. All coaches that indicate their interest will be made aware of their team’s status via email. 

Additionally, teams may earn automatic entry into the Jr. NBA Global Championship USA Basketball Regionals by winning a local qualifying tournament in their region.

In 2019, the Jr. NBA Global Championship introduced a new layer of local competitions in the U.S. to expand the pool of participating boys and girls teams. By participating in a local qualifier, your team may gain automatic entry into one (1) of the eight (8) Jr. NBA Global Championship USA Basketball regional tournaments.

Visit the local qualifying page  to learn more about how to register your team for one of these tournaments.

U.S.-based teams must compete in the regional tournament that includes the state listed in the team’s official address. More information is available in the U.S. Team Guide.

U.S. Regions (Breakdown by State)

Central: Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wyoming

Mid-Atlantic: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia

Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin

Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont

Northwest: Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington

South: Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Texas

Southeast: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee

West: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada

See below for additional information on roster guidelines for U.S.-based teams competing in the Jr. NBA Global Championship.

Teams are required to have a minimum of eight (8) players and a maximum of ten (10) players.

In the U.S., the roster rules aim to provide an opportunity for existing teams and players within geographical boundaries to participate together, and to avoid the development of teams specifically for this event with multiple players from various locations. Each team must indicate its official address during registration, and all players must reside in the team’s “primary” state or a geographically adjoining state. All rosters must be fully submitted and verified as a part of the online tournament registration, and no roster changes will be permitted after two (2) weeks prior to the event. Rosters changes must be approved by the NBA. Players can only play in one regional tournament per year and cannot play for more than one team.

If an existing team does not meet the above roster criteria due to unique, bordering state and city boundaries and feels as though its roster does not violate the spirit of the rule, the team may submit a request for a geographical hardship exception.

Geographical hardship submissions must be made by contacting  JNGC@NBA.com for further review.  All roster approvals are at the sole discretion of the NBA.  If a roster does not meet the criteria above and a geographical hardship has not been explicitly granted by the NBA, that team will be ineligible to participate in the Jr. NBA Global Championship.

The  U.S. Team Guide  provides additional information and clarification for all team requirements.

The Jr. NBA Global Championship will include teams from eight (8) international regions: Africa, Asia Pacific, Canada, China, Europe & Middle East, India, Latin America, and Mexico. See the International Regionals page for more details about each regional competition.

The international competitions will leverage the Jr. NBA’s extensive global reach to identify top boys and girls players and teams from around the world. Each NBA regional office determines the process for identifying the 14U/8^th Grade boys and girls teams that represent its respective region in the Jr. NBA Global Championship.

All coaches and/or bench personnel for U.S.-based teams confirmed to participate in all Jr. NBA Global Championship events are required to have a current USA Basketball (USAB) Associate or Gold level license at least two (2) weeks prior to the qualifying event. For confirmed Jr. NBA Global Championship USA Basketball Regional teams, the Jr. NBA will provide a $30 discount per license for up to two (2) coaches or bench personnel per team.

All coaches and/or bench personnel for international teams will be required to have a current FIBA certification and/or a current certification from their home country’s national basketball federation.

Note: The number of coaches and/or bench personnel is capped at two (2) per team.

The Jr. NBA Global Championship rules are adapted from the USA Basketball (USAB) youth tournament ruleset. These rules follow the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) rules with specific modifications for the 12-14 age segment.

The Jr. NBA Global Championship will align with the NBA and USA Basketball Youth Guidelines, which promote health and wellness in several ways including recommending age-appropriate limits on the number of games that youth should play.

The registration fee for the Jr. NBA Global Championship U.S. regional tournaments is $400 per team. Internationally, requirements to participate vary by region.

Organizations that qualify for U.S. regional tournaments should make the Jr. NBA aware if financial assistance is required to cover the Jr. NBA Global Championship registration fee.

The sixteen (16) boys and sixteen (16) girls teams representing each region will receive all-expenses-paid trips to compete in the Jr. NBA Global Championship.

In 2019, the NBA integrated long-time league partners and leading basketball stakeholders USA Basketball and FIBA into the Jr. NBA Global Championship.

USA Basketball will continue collaborating across all domestic competitions by accrediting local tournaments, licensing participating coaches, supporting U.S. regional tournaments, and promoting best practices through the implementation of the NBA and USA Basketball Youth Guidelines.  FIBA will continue to help expand the scope of the international competition and support off-court programming by organizing coaching and officiating development opportunities.