In addition to the virtual basketball competition, this year’s Jr. NBA Global Championship also engaged players in social responsibility activations, cross-cultural event experiences with NBA/WNBA players, and life skills programming.

Social Responsibility Activation

For their social responsibility activation, players from around the world submitted original artwork and photographs to share their vision of global unity and social change through the lens of basketball. Live Art International and the Nancy Pochis Bank Art Studio used the young athletes’ submissions to create a mural titled “Basketball Sunrise.” The mural highlights the power of our game to drive collective action and social change and will be donated to New Image Youth Center, a youth organization in Parramore, FL that provides free academic, health and wellness, and sports programming to local school-aged youth.

The final mural will be revealed on @JrNBA social media on Thursday, August 13. A preview of the mural can be viewed below.

Virtual Campus

This year’s event included an innovative cross-cultural event experience where youth players from around the world used avatars to interact with each other and explore the Jr. NBA Global Championship virtual campus hosted by Event Farm. The virtual campus featured content from all NBA and WNBA teams, live programming from Houston Rockets Assistant Coach Brett Gunning, Minnesota Timberwolves Assistant Coach Bryan Gates, NBA legend Bostjan Nachbar, and Durable Athlete, and lifestyle, culture and music components, including performances by DJ Bandcamp.

Life Skills

Jr. NBA Global Championship U.S. alumni from 2018 and 2019 as well as youth players from Canada participated in a life skills conversation alongside Chicago Bulls guard Coby White and Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier. The youth-led conversation centered on race, social justice and mental wellness as well as the opportunity for the next generation of players and leaders to drive collective action and create long-term change. Additional life skills sessions have taken place in the seven other Jr. NBA Global Championship regions with participation from NBA legends Bruce Bowen, Robert Horry, Dikembe Mutombo, and Greivis Vasquez.