–U.S. Central Girls, Boys take home inaugural Jr. NBA World Championship at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney–
–NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Dwyane Wade and Sheryl Swoopes Present Trophies at First-of-its-Kind Global Tournament Featuring More Than 300 Youth Players from 35 Countries–
ORLANDO, Aug. 13, 2018 – India's Sunishka Kartik won the Community Award at the Jr. NBA World Championship today at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla. The 13-year old from Bengaluru had scored a game-high 17 points in her team's impressive win over South America combined in Pool Play.
The award recognizes the players who are committed to giving back to those in need. These players understood the impact of the game beyond the court, and embraced the opportunity to make a difference in the community.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Central girls team and U.S. Central boys team won the inaugural Jr. NBA World Championship today at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla. The world championship games, televised on FOX, featured the Central girls defeating the Europe girls team 68-38, while the Central boys defeated the Africa & Middle East boys team 60-50.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, three-time NBA Champion and Jr. NBA World Championship Global Ambassador Dwyane Wade and four-time WNBA Champion Sheryl Swoopes presented the winning teams with trophies in a ceremony following the games.
The first-of-its kind global youth basketball tournament took place from Aug. 7-12 and featured 32 of the top 13- and 14-year-old boys and girls teams from around the world.
The Central girls team from Kansas City, Mo. advanced to the Jr. NBA World Championship after winning the Central Regional tournament earlier this summer. After losing their first game of the week against the Southeast girls in pool play, head coach Sam Johnson and the Central team responded with six consecutive wins to take home the world championship. S’mya Nichols, Tasia Johnson and Sania Copeland propelled the team’s offense throughout the week. Each averaged more than 10 points per game in the tournament and the trio scored a combined 45 points over Europe in the world championship matchup.
The Central boys team from Overland Park, Kan. also advanced to the Jr. NBA World Championship after winning the Central Regional tournament earlier this summer. Head coach Allen Skeens led the Central boys to a perfect 7-0 record in Orlando, including bracket-play victories against the Northwest, South, and Southeast to advance to the world championship. Standout players Mark Mitchell and Taj Manning averaged 19.3 points and 16.6 points, respectively, throughout the tournament. Mitchell and Manning combined for 35 points in the win over Africa & Middle East in the world championship match.
Prior to the championship games, seven-time NBA All-Star and 2018 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Grant Hill hosted an awards ceremony and was joined by Silver and other presenters including Wade, Swoopes, and former Orlando Magic players and current Magic Community Ambassadors Nick Anderson and Bo Outlaw. Four awards representing the Jr. NBA’s four core values – Determination, Respect, Teamwork and Community – were each presented to the boy and girl players who best represented the characteristics throughout the tournament. The winners were:
