NBA Africa (www.NBA.com), Stanbic Bank and the Luol Deng Foundation today announced that the first Jr. NBA League in South Sudan will tip off in early 2024 and reach 450 boys and girls ages 16 and under from Juba during the league’s first season.

To celebrate the announcement, NBA Africa and Stanbic Bank today unveiled a new basketball court at St. Mark’s Orthodox School in Munuki, Juba, which tomorrow will host a Jr. NBA tournament featuring 12 teams of boys and girls ages 16 and under.

The court unveiling was attended by Stanbic Bank Chief Executive for Kenya and South Sudan, Dr. Joshua Oigara; NBA Africa CEO Victor Williams; NBA Africa Head of Basketball Operations Franck Traore; Luol Deng Foundation CEO Arek Deng; and two-time NBA All-Star and Basketball Africa League (BAL) Global Ambassador Luol Deng. 

“We’re excited to work with Stanbic Bank and the Luol Deng Foundation to launch our first Jr. NBA League in South Sudan as part of our continued commitment to making basketball more accessible to the youth of Africa,” said Williams.  “South Sudan has a rich basketball history, with Manute Bol and Luol Deng paving the way for the next generation of South Sudanese players, and this beautiful new court will serve as a safe space for thousands of boys and girls in Juba to play the game and follow in their footsteps.” 

“With a solid foundation and a decade-long history operating in South Sudan, Stanbic Bank is committed to empowering our communities to enable social and economic growth,” said Oigara.  “We have been supporting nation-building, expanding upon the achievements made so far and investing in concrete initiatives and programs that support all sectors of the country’s economy.  We are glad to work with NBA Africa, who is passionate about driving change and connecting people everywhere through the power of basketball.”

“The launch of the Jr. NBA in Juba will mark a historic milestone for South Sudan and speaks to the Luol Deng Foundation’s commitment to using the transformative power of basketball to create pathways that encourage more South Sudanese boys and girls to reach their limitless potential,” said Deng.  “As the first inter-school league in South Sudan, it can become a blueprint for setting up organized and competitive school leagues across the country, while also allowing young players and their coaches to learn from NBA experts and be part of the larger Jr. NBA community.  We hope that this initiative inspires more boys and girls to stay active and lead a healthy lifestyle, and we look forward to the league’s tip-off early next year.”

The Jr. NBA, the league’s global youth basketball participation program for boys and girls, teaches the fundamental skills as well as the core values of the game at the grassroots level in an effort to help grow and improve the youth basketball experience for players, coaches and parents. Jr. NBA programming has directly reached more than 165,000 youth across 18 African countries.

Born in Wau, South Sudan, Deng was selected with the 7th overall pick by the Phoenix Suns in the 2004 NBA Draft and was subsequently traded to the Chicago Bulls where he played from 2004-2014.  He also played for the Cleveland Cavaliers (2014), Miami Heat (2014-16), Los Angeles Lakers (2016-18) and Minnesota Timberwolves (2018-19), before signing a one-day contract to retire as a Bull ahead of the 2019-20 NBA Season.  Deng is a two-time NBA All-Star (2012, 2013), a recipient of the 2007 NBA Sportsmanship Award and was named to the 2005 NBA All-Rookie First Team.

Deng was also a member of the Great Britain National Team at the 2012 Olympic Games in London and captained Team Africa at the NBA Africa Games in South Africa in 2015 and 2017. He regularly participates in youth development initiatives in Africa, including Basketball Without Borders, the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program. He has been a BAL Global Ambassador since the league’s launch in 2021. Under Deng’s leadership, in September 2023 the South Sudan Men’s National Team qualified for the Olympic Games for the first time in the country’s history. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of National Basketball Association (NBA).

Contact:
Pawel Weszka
NBA Africa PR&Communications
pweszka@nba.com
+27 10 007 2666

About NBA Africa:
NBA Africa is an affiliate of the National Basketball Association (NBA), a global sports and media organization with the mission to inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of basketball.  NBA Africa conducts the league’s business in Africa, including the Basketball Africa League (BAL), and has opened subsidiary offices in Cairo, Egypt; Dakar, Senegal; Lagos, Nigeria; and Nairobi, Kenya.  The NBA has a long history in Africa and opened its African headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2010.  The league’s efforts on the continent have focused on increasing access to basketball and the NBA through youth and elite development, social responsibility, media distribution, corporate partnerships, NBA Africa Games, an NBA Store, the BAL, and more.  

NBA games and programming are available in all 54 African countries, and the NBA has hosted three sold-out exhibition games on the continent since 2015.  The BAL, a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and NBA Africa, is a professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa that will tip off its fourth season in March 2024.  Fans can follow @NBA_Africa and @theBAL on Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.

About Stanbic Bank:
Stanbic Bank is licensed and regulated by the Bank of South Sudan and has provided banking services in South Sudan since 2004, before the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005. The bank provides corporate, business and personal banking services to the key sectors that drive the South Sudan economy including Oil&Gas, Power&Infrastructure, Humanitarian&Development Assistance, Government, Telecommunications and Insurance. We offer bespoke transactional solutions and foreign exchange services.  

Over 160 years, Stanbic Bank has been a supporter of sports and culture within the youth segment and has invested immensely and supported sports sector all over Africa, including marathons, rugby, cricket, football and now basketball.