Jr.NBA presented by Dutch Lady returns for third consecutive year

Expanded Program Will Visit Penang for the First Time And Reach More Than 200 Schools Across Malaysia 

Online Registration Now Live at www.jrnba.asia/malaysia

Jr. NBA, the NBA’s global youth development program that promotes basketball participation and an active lifestyle among children, returns to Malaysia for the third consecutive year beginning today. 

The expanded program will reach more than 200 schools in Malaysia with clinics in Kuala Lumpur and Penang, a first-time Jr. NBA host city.  Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad (Dutch Lady)will again serve as the presenting partner of the Jr. NBA in Malaysia.

Jr. NBA Malaysia 2016 presented by Dutch Lady will run throughAugust2016 and engage morethan 4,000 boys and girls.  Participants will be trained in the fundamentals of basketball and learn the importance of the Jr. NBA’s core values of sportsmanship, teamwork, a positive attitude, and respect. 

According to the South East Asian Nutrition Survey (SEANUTS)*, nearly 50% of Malaysian children studied in SEANUTS have calcium insufficiency. Findings also found a high proportion of physical inactivity among children aged seven to 12 years old. 

As a result of these findings, Dutch Lady partnered with the Jr. NBA program as part of its Drink.Move.BeStrong campaign to encourage an active lifestyle and a healthy diet among Malaysian youth while highlighting milk’s role in a child’s growth and development, helping build muscle, keeping bones strong while also filling up and rehydrating.

“Drink. Move. Be Strong is simply our campaign to build strong families. Through this, we encourage families to drink at least two glasses of milk and spend one hour a day on outdoor exercise so that they will be physically and emotionally stronger,” said Marketing Director of Dutch Lady Malaysia Ashlee Ng. 

“Over the last two years, our partnership with Jr. NBA has served as an effective platform to promote physical activity through basketball and allowed Dutch Lady to leverage Jr. NBA’s remarkable reputation to create awareness and educate children on active and healthy lifestyle.  It has also enabled the company to connect with our customers and staff through money-can’t-buy opportunities.  For that, we are delighted to return as the presenting partner of Jr. NBA Malaysia and to help expand the program by bringing it to Penang, where we hope to get more families and their children involved in this programme.”

“We are thrilled for the return of the Jr. NBA Malaysia presented by Dutch Lady as we aim to positively impact the lives of children, parents, and coaches around the country,” said NBA Asia Vice President, Global Marketing Partnerships Francesco Suarez. 

“Together with Dutch Lady, we are committed to providing Malaysian children with a safe and fun environment to be active while teaching them about the positive values of sport and the benefits of proper nutrition.”

Jr. NBA Malaysia 2016 presented by Dutch Lady tipped off today with a Train the Trainers program at SJK (C) Kwong Hon.  The program will be followed by a coaches clinic and an open clinic for kids at the IGB International Schooltomorrow, and additional clinics on April 3. 

A series of school clinics will also be conducted leading up to the selection camp on July 16, where the top 40 boys and top 24 girls ages 10-14 will be chosen following a series of skills and character assessments to participate in the Jr. NBA National Training Camp August 5-7. 

The Train the Trainers program was introduced this year to further local basketball development, imparting knowledge and tools to all participating coaches to help elevate the overall youth basketball experience in the country.

The National Training Camp will once again be attended by an NBA legend or current player and feature an NBA Cares community outreach event.  The program will culminate with the selection of 10 boys and five girls, who will be named as 2016 Jr. NBA Malaysia All-Stars. 

These standout campers will embark on a unique, overseas NBA experience together with fellow Jr. NBA All-Stars from Southeast Asia later in the year.       

The program is free and open to boys and girls ages 5-14.  Players between the ages of 10-14 will be eligible for the top selection during the selection camp and National Training Camp. 

In addition to presenting partner Dutch Lady, the event is supported by the Ministry of Education Malaysia, Spalding and Westports Malaysia Dragons.  Astro is the Official BroadcasterPartner of the Jr. NBA in Malaysia.

The Jr. NBA teaches the fundamental skills as well as the core values of the game at the grassroots level in an effort to help grow and improve the youth basketball experience for players, coaches and parents.  During the 2015-16 season, the Jr. NBA will reach more than 6.5 million youth in 33 countries.

Registration for the coaches clinic, open clinics and selection camp is nowavailable through the official event website at www.jrnba.asia/malaysia.  Fans can follow Jr. NBA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jrnbamalaysia.  For all things NBA, visit www.nba.com and “Friend” the NBA’s official account on LINE by adding @nba_global. 

Reference:

*         Nutritional status and dietary intakes of children ages six months to 12 years:findings of the Nutrition Survey of Malaysian Children (SEANUTS Malaysia), British Journal of Nutrition (2013), 110, S21–S35.

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