The NBA and WNBA have picked 40 of the best youth basketball players worldwide to compete in the inaugural Jr. NBA Showcase in Las Vegas from July 12-16.
The 40 elite boys and girls players aged 13 and 14 will hail from 17 countries—including the U.S., Morocco, Uruguay, Serbia, Slovenia, Australia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Japan, Mexico, Senegal, Egypt, Croatia, Indonesia, Madagascar, and Nigeria.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said earlier this month that the league is considering a United States vs. International format for its All-Star Game. That same format will be used at the Jr. NBA Showcase, where players will be divided into U.S. and International rosters and compete in exhibition games on July 15 at Cox Pavilion, home of UNLV and the NBA Summer League.
The four-day showcase will be hosted in conjunction with the WNBA All-Star Game happening July 15 at Las Vegas’s Michelob Ultra Arena and the Summer League held July 7-17 at the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion. NBA Con, a ticketed fan festival celebrating basketball culture, also debuts July 7-9 at Mandalay Bay.
More than 25% of active NBA players were born outside the U.S., including the last five league MVPs — Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece, 2019-2020), Nikola Jokic (Serbia, 2021-2022), and Joel Embiid (Cameroon, 2023). Bolstering the NBA’s global appeal is Frenchman Victor Wembanyama, the generational prospect selected first-overall by the San Antonio Spurs in last week’s NBA Draft.
Nike will sponsor the Jr. NBA Showcase, where players will participate in life skills and leadership programming, team practices, and a Skills Night presented by Gatorade that spans three-point, dunk, and skills competitions.
The NBA App will livestream the games, which the NBA says will feature the “next generation of elite players.” In 2018, the league hosted its Jr. NBA Global Championship that included Jarace Walker, Cason Wallace, and Gradey Dick, all of whom were lottery picks in this month’s NBA Draft.
