The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Gulf Sports Media FZ-LLC (also known as Sport360) today announced a collaboration for Sport360 to launch and operate a new NBA Basketball School in Lebanon.
The basketball development initiative will tip off with a summer camp from July 29 – Aug. 2 at Michel El Murr Stadium. The program is open to youth ages 6-18 and will include skill development, games and scrimmages and life skills programming.
Participants of the NBA Basketball School in Lebanon will also have the chance to be selected to represent Lebanon in the NBA Basketball School 2024 Abu Dhabi Tournament in October – a cross-regional tournament that will feature international competitions between NBA Basketball Schools, appearances by NBA and WNBA Legends, and an opportunity to experience various activations centered around the NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2024.
“We are delighted to bring the NBA Basketball School to Lebanon for the first time as part of our continued efforts to teach fundamentals and values of the game, including teamwork, discipline, and sportsmanship, to youth across the region,” said NBA Senior Director of Basketball Operations, Europe and Middle East, Henry Utku.
“This camp and the future long term NBA Basketball School program in Lebanon represent a fantastic opportunity for young basketball enthusiasts to learn and develop their skills in a fun and supportive environment.”
“We are very proud to be part of launching the NBA Basketball School in Lebanon” said Mr. Bassam Nawfal, Managing Director of Sport360. “It is a significant step towards nurturing the next generation of basketball talent in the country.”
The NBA Basketball School curriculum, which is designed to develop players and provide parents, coaches and organizations with a better understanding of the player development process, has been developed by the NBA’s International Basketball Operations department in consultation with current and former NBA coaches, players and player development specialists.
About the NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a global sports and media organization with the mission to inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of basketball. Built around five professional sports leagues: the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League and Basketball Africa League, the NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming available in 214 countries and territories in 60 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 200 countries and territories on all seven continents. NBA rosters at the start of the 2023-24 season featured a record 125 international players from 40 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 more than 2.3 billion likes and followers globally across all leagues, team and player platforms. NBA Cares, the NBA’s global social responsibility platform, partners with renowned community-based organizations around the world to address important social issues in the areas of education, inclusion, youth and family development, and health and wellness.
About Sport360
Sport360 has been telling the Middle East’s very best sports stories since 2010 across video, social, gaming and events. Access is provided to more than 15m followers on Sport360’s native social media platforms, plus websites that generate more than 12m monthly page views. The Agency works alongside some of the region’s biggest clubs and organisations generating groundbreaking content daily to help engage fans and drive global best practices. Sport360 events are showstoppers across a range of different executions and bespoke client activations.
