JR. NBA PHILIPPINES PRESENTED BY ALASKA EXPANDS PROGRAM WITH ROAD TO JR. NBA GLOBAL CHAMPIONSHIP

“As we expand the Jr. NBA Philippines program, we are excited to introduce new opportunities for players and coaches to gain an enriching experience playing with and learning from peers of diverse cultural backgrounds. Together with longtime partner Alaska, we are committed to growing the Jr. NBA Philippines into an inclusive program that fosters a safe and fun environment for boys and girls to compete, learn the fundamental skills and values of the game, and positively impact the next generation of Filipino athletes.” ~Carlo Singson, NBA Philippines Managing Director

The National Basketball Association today announced the Jr. NBA Philippines 2019 presented by Alaska will return for the 12th consecutive year and expand to provide youth in the region the opportunity to represent Asia Pacific in the second Jr. NBA Global Championship, a youth basketball tournament for the top 13- and 14-year-old boys and girls teams from around the world that will be held Aug. 6-11 at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Fla.

Jr. NBA Philippines 2019 tipped off today in Manila with a train-the-trainers clinic for teachers and coaches.  The program, which aims to teach the fundamental skills and core values of the game at the grassroots level, will once again include nationwide youth clinics, coaching workshops, and training camps.

New this year, the Jr. NBA Global Championship Asia Pacific regional competition will expand to include youth from Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.  As many as five boys and five girls from the Jr. NBA Philippines National Training Camp will be selected to participate in the first Jr. NBA Global Championship Asia Pacific Qualifiers, a week-long event in June that will feature top youth players from the region.  The top performing 10 boys and 10 girls will represent Asia Pacific in the Jr. NBA Global Championship.

“Jr. NBA Philippines presented by Alaska continues to be a great platform to reach kids at a young age and inspire them to learn the fundamentals of the game in a fun and engaging way. We look forward to leveraging the excitement of the NBA to inspire basketball participation and utilizing the Jr. NBA Philippines program to promote the importance of active play and proper nutrition among the Filipino youth.” ~Jeff Cariaso, Alaska Basketball Powercamp Director

Regional selection camps will be staged in Lucena (March 9-10), Baguio (March 23-24), Metro Manila (April 27-28), and a city in Visayas and Mindanao to select the top 40 boys and 40 girls that will advance to the National Training Camp in Metro Manila (May 17-19), which will feature an NBA and WNBA player or legend.  Online registration for Regional Selection Camps opens today at www.jrnba.asia/philippines.

Jr. NBA Philippines 2019 will also include the Jr. NBA Coach of the Year program to provide training for 14 Jr. NBA coaches during the National Training Camp, culminating with the male and female Jr. NBA Coach of the Year attending the Jr. NBA Global Championship Asia Pacific Qualifiers. 

Jr. NBA Philippines furthers Alaska Sports’ mission to provide proper nutrition to youth through its leading brands - Alaska Fortified Powdered Milk Drink and Alaska Chocolate Powdered Milk Drink - and by encouraging an active and healthy lifestyle.

During the 2018-19 season, the NBA and its teams plan to reach more than 51 million youth in 75 countries through league play, in-school programming, clinics, skills challenges, and other outreach events.

The 2019 edition of Jr. NBA Philippines is presented by Alaska, with AXA, Gatorade, Globe, Panasonic, Rexona, and Vivo as Official Partners.  ABS-CBN S + A, Basketball TV and NBA Premium TV are the Official NBA Broadcasters of Jr. NBA Philippines.

Participants can now register for the Jr. NBA program online at www.jrnba.asia/philippines, and follow Jr. NBA on Facebook and the NBA at www.nba.com and on Facebook and Twitter.  Fans can visit www.alaskamilk.com to learn more about Alaska Milk Corporation, and follow Alaska Milk on Facebook for more information about Alaska Sports.

About the NBA

The NBA is a global sports and media business built around four professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, the NBA G League and the NBA 2K League. The NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 50 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 100,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents. NBA rosters at the start of the 2018-19 season featured 108 international players from 42 countries and territories. NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass. The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with 1.5 billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms. Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes.

About Alaska Milk

Given the growing issues on health as well as the fast-changing technological environment, which leads to the change in children’s interests and behavior or sedentary lifestyle, Alaska believes that there is a need to reinforce its thrust in leading a healthy lifestyle not just by drinking milk but also by leading an active lifestyle. Alaska seeks to engage the youth, especially younger kids, in sports.

Alaska Milk looks beyond selling milk – it sells nutrition and by doing so, the Company and brand Alaska is doing its part in nation-building.  Through youth sports development programs, Alaska is able to help nourish children for them to develop into champions in the field of interest and, in general, in life.  The overall objective of the Alaska Sports is to strengthen the brand’s equity in nutrition through sports.  To portray Alaska Fortified as a brand that helps instill the values of determination, discipline, teamwork, and hard work among the youth through sports.