Emmanouil Dimou AT the FIRST JR. NBA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

– Twenty Players From 12 European Countries to Compete in Global Youth Basketball Tournament –

– Jr. NBA World Championship to be Played at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex

at Walt Disney World Resort Near Orlando Aug. 7-12, 2018 –

The National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced the final rosters of the boys team and girls team that will represent Europe at the Jr. NBA World Championship, a first-of-its kind global youth basketball tournament for elite 13- and 14-year-old boys and girls teams from around the world taking place Aug. 7-12, 2018 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Fla. In the list of the top European players of this age group, is the name of the player of Panathinaikos BC Superfoods BC Academy, Emmanouil Dimou.

The two teams, comprised of 10 players each, feature boys and girls from 12 countries across Europe, including four from Spain, three from Lithuania and two from England, Finland, and Sweden, respectively. The boys team will be coached by Alessandro Nocera (Italy) and Eero Levä (Finland), while the girls team will be coached by Uros Dragicevic (Spain) and Lina Brazdeikyte (Lithuania).

The teams were selected by a committee of coaches and NBA staff following the Jr. NBA World Championship Europe Camp, a week-long selection camp in Rogla, Slovenia from April 30 – May 4. The camp, which included basketball skill development drills and five-on-five competition, featured the top 47 13- and 14-year-old players from Jr. NBA leagues in 17 countries across Europe.

“The Jr. NBA World Championship represents another exciting step in the NBA’s current youth basketball programming and development efforts in Europe,” said NBA Associate Vice President of Basketball Operations, Europe and Middle East, Neal Meyer. “These 20 Jr. NBA participants will have the opportunity to represent their country and unite as one European team to showcase their skills on a global stage.”

The Jr. NBA World Championship will have boys and girls divisions, each comprised of 16 regional teams (eight U.S. and eight international teams) that will receive all-expenses-paid trips to compete in the inaugural event. The Jr. NBA World Championship will include round-robin competition followed by single-elimination tournaments. Winners of the U.S. and international brackets will play in the World Championship game on Aug. 12.

In addition to the on-court competition at the Jr. NBA World Championship, boys and girls from dozens of countries from around the world will participate in off-court activities – often alongside current and former NBA and WNBA players – including life skills education, physical and mental wellness programming and NBA Cares community service projects.

The Jr. NBA World Championship will align with the NBA and USA Basketball Youth Guidelines, which promote player health and wellness and age- and stage-appropriate rules and standards. All coaches participating in the Jr. NBA World Championship will also be required to be trained and licensed.

More information about the Jr. NBA World Championship can be found at jrnba.com/worldchampionship.

The following is a complete list of European boys participating in the first Jr. NBA World Championship in Orlando:

The following is a complete list of European girls participating in the first Jr. NBA World Championship in Orlando:

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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 125,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents. NBA rosters at the start of the 2017-18 season featured 108 international players from a record 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 the Jr. NBA

The Jr. NBA presented by Under Armour is the league's youth basketball participation program that provides a fun environment for kids to learn the fundamentals and values of the game. The Jr. NBA is focused on helping grow and improve the youth basketball experience for players, coaches and parents, and offers a free curriculum covering all levels of the game that includes 48 practice plans and more than 250 instructional videos featuring NBA and WNBA players. The Jr. NBA World Championship, a first-of-its kind global youth basketball tournament for elite 13- to 14-year-old boys and girls teams from around the world, will take place in August 2018.

In partnership with USA Basketball, the NBA developed two sets of youth basketball guidelines which promote player health and wellness and age-appropriate rules and standards. Through a network of affiliated youth basketball organizations and programs such as the Jr. NBA Skills Challenge presented by Verizon and 3v3 Leagues presented by Shock Doctor, the Jr. NBA program has reached more than five million youth ages 6-14 in the U.S. and Canada since launching its expanded efforts in October 2015. The Jr. NBA partnership network is comprised of youth basketball programs of all NBA, WNBA and NBA G League teams as well as elementary and middle schools, military bases and long standing community partners. For more information and to register for the Jr. NBA, visit www.JrNBA.com or download the Jr. NBA app.

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