The 2019 Jr. NBA Global Championship returned to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World this week, bringing with it several stars and legends of the NBA as well as the best 13- and 14-year old basketball players the world has to offer.
- The tournament brought 32 teams to Walt Disney World, 16 girls teams and 16 boys teams.
- Of those 32 teams, there were eight from the US and eight international teams in each division.
- The following US teams participated in the tournament:
- Boys:
- Central – Drive5 Power Elite; Overland Park, Kan.
- Mid-Atlantic – Quality Warriors; Upper Marlboro, Md.
- Midwest – The Family; Detroit, Mich.
- Northeast – K/S Elite All Stars; New York, N.Y.
- Northwest – Dynasty Red; Portland, Ore.
- South – Drive Nation; Dallas, Texas
- Southeast – TSF Mack; Atlanta, Ga.
- West – City Ballers; Los Angeles, Calif.
- Girls:
- Central – Missouri Phenom; Kansas City, Mo.
- Mid-Atlantic – Maryland Belles; Odenton, Md.
- Midwest – All Ohio; Cincinnati, Ohio
- Northeast – Empire State Basketball Club; Westchester, N.Y.
- Northwest – Evolution Greyhounds; Seattle, Wash.
- South – Cy Fair Elite; Austin, Texas
- Southeast – FBC United The Family; Metro Atlanta, Ga.
- West – San Diego Waves; San Diego, Calif.
- The following international teams also participated in the tournament:
- Africa
- China
- Canada
- Mexico
- Asia Pacific
- Europe & Middle East
- India
- Latin America
- In the boys division, the West won the US bracket and went on to defeat Africa to capture the global championship.
- In the girls division, Canada took the international title but fell short against the girls from the US Central who won their second straight global title.
- The tournament also brought several current and past NBA and WNBA stars to Walt Disney World, including:
- Danny Green, 2019 NBA Champion
- Aaron Gordon, Orlando Magic player
- Jennifer Azzi, 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist
- Jason Collins, Former NBA player and NBA Cares Ambassador
- Dwyane Wade, Jr. NBA Global Championship Global Ambassador
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer
- Jonathan Isaac, Orlando Magic forward
- Mike Conley, 2019 NBA Sportsmanship and Twyman–Stokes Teammate of the Year Award recipient
- Grant Hill, 2018 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee
- Swin Cash, New Orleans Pelicans Vice President of Basketball Operations and Team Development and former WNBA All-Star
- NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was also present for the closing ceremony of the tournament.
What they’re saying:
- Mark Tatum, NBA Deputy Commissioner: “I think this is a destination for kids around the world. Everyone around the world knows Disney and this facility is world-class. And so this is the perfect facility to host an international community.”