Caribbean basketballers to see NBA champs

DIGICEL and the NBA have announced that the top 14 boys and girls from the Digicel NBA Jumpstart Programme, will attend an NBA game featuring the Brooklyn Nets and NBA champions Golden State Warriors, on Sunday.

As part of the NBA experience, the boys and girls will also tour NBA facilities, visit local New York City landmarks, receive elite basketball training and participate in life skills sessions.

The young players were selected by New Orleans Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry following their participation in the Digicel NBA Jumpstart Elite Camp held in TT. The camp in TT brought together the best basketball players aged 17 and under from Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Haiti, Jamaica, TT and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

“We have a lot of young talent in the Caribbean, who don’t often get the chance to showcase their abilities or receive the level of encouragement and support they need to take their game to the next level. Through this NBA partnership, we can provide these players and their coaches with the proper training and inspiration to grow the game across the region,” said Digicel group sponsorship manager, Tari Lovell. “We congratulate these young basketball players for working hard and showing great progress in just six to seven short months.”

NBA vice-president, Latin America, Arnon de Mello, said the Jumpstart programme shows the league’s dedication to spread the game.

“We are proud that the fourth year of the Digicel NBA Jumpstart programme has been successful in showcasing our commitment to growing the game in the Caribbean and all of Latin America,” de Mello said.

“Congratulations to these young players who had the unique opportunity to learn directly from NBA and WNBA players and coaches. I know that they will have a fantastic time on their trip to New York City as they enjoy an authentic NBA experience,” de Mello said.

The 2018 Digicel NBA Jumpstart Camps, which visited Haiti for the first time in addition to Turks and Caicos, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Jamaica and TT, featured an expanded format and a record 72 youth participants at each camp. Content from the camps and trip to the USA is being shared with fans across Digicel’s social media platforms and on SportsMax.

Digicel and the NBA signed a multiyear partnership in 2015 to deliver live games and extensive NBA programming to more than 25 Caribbean territories through SportsMax and the PlayGo app – making Digicel the official communications partner of the NBA in the region.