(Juba) – The second season of the Stanbic Jr. NBA League officially started in Juba on Saturday, bringing together boys and girls aged 16 and under from across the capital to compete in a growing youth basketball programme supported by the National Basketball Association (NBA) Africa, Stanbic Bank and the Luol Deng Foundation.
This season’s opening took place at the Nimra Talata Basketball Stadium, with 28 teams, both boys and girls, set to compete in regular matches through September. The season will conclude in October with playoffs and finals, marking another milestone in the development of youth basketball in South Sudan.
In the lead up to the opening, a league draw event was hosted on Thursday at St. Mark’s Orthodox School in Juba. During this event, participating school teams were each assigned a jersey from one of the NBA’s official franchises, which they will represent throughout the season. On Friday, a training clinic was held for 40 local coaches and school educators to build skills and improve coaching standards.
Last year’s inaugural season ended with the Juba One 76ers taking the championship title in front of basketball legends including two-time NBA All-Star Luol Deng—who was born in South Sudan—and 1995 All Star Cedric Ceballos. Their presence at the finals gave a major boost to the young players and raised the profile of the league across the country.
The Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA is a grassroots programme run by the NBA to promote basketball among young people worldwide. It focuses on building core values like teamwork, respect, discipline, and community, alongside technical skills. In Africa, the programme has been introduced in 19 countries and reached more than 350,000 young people in 2024 alone.
The initiative aims to improve the sporting experience for players, parents, coaches and schools involved in nurturing young talent.
Luol Deng, who continues to support youth sports in his home country through his foundation, has been central to the league’s success.
