JWSport Jacek Waszak – Sport journalist
What a day! Tuesday, June 2nd, matches took place from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. There were many teams competing all day.
The games were of a high standard, and I received nominations from the English Basketball Association for the JR NBA Finals in Bristol. Previously, I had received nominations for the BUCS Varsity University Finals, as well as the finals in Bath between Cardiff and Archway, and finals in other league categories, including the U18, U16, and U14 categories.
It’s always so nice to be recognized and have matches like this at the end of each season because of the hard work and physical effort we put into our work and matches.
On Tuesday, the event moved to Bristol UWE for the South West finals, and then to Nottingham for the East Midlands final, completing the first three of the eleven scheduled events in June.
Results from the Jr. finals NBA, as well as the winners of the shooting competitions and
South West – June 2, 2025, Bristol, held at UWE
Grade 7 Eastern Final: Indiana Pacers (Churston Ferrers Grammar School) 13-37 Philadelphia 76ers (Penryn College)
Grade 7 Western Final: Los Angeles Lakers (Bohunt School Worthing) 49-31 Oklahoma City Thunder (Bitterne Park School)
Grade 8 Eastern Final: Brooklyn Nets (Penryn College) 36-25 Milwaukee Bucks (Churston Ferrers Grammar School)
Grade 8 Western Final: New Orleans Pelicans (Churchill Academy) 14-35 Minnesota Timberwolves (Bishop Wandsworth’s School)
Grade 7 Third Place Match: Indiana Pacers (Churston Ferrers Grammar School) 21-41 Oklahoma City Thunder (Bitterne Park School)
Grade 8 Third Place Match: Milwaukee Bucks (Churston Ferrers Grammar School) 22-23 New Orleans Pelicans (Churston Ferrers Grammar School)
Grade 7 Final: Philadelphia 76ers (Penryn College) 22-27 Los Angeles Lakers (Bohunt Worthing School)
Grade 8 Final: Brooklyn Nets (Penryn College) 20-31 Minnesota Timberwolves (Bishop Wandsworth School)
Shooting Competition Winner:
Grade 7 – Elijah Neale – Bitterne Park School
Grade 8 – Noah Westlake – Churchill Academy
Jr. The NBA is a global youth basketball program for boys and girls that teaches fundamental skills and core values—teamwork, mutual respect, determination, and community building—at the grassroots level to develop and hone the basketball skills of young players, coaches, and parents. During the 2019-20 season, the NBA and its teams physically reached 14.5 million young people worldwide through events and clinics, while over 210 million young players and fans from 118 countries participated in virtual events and online classes.
“We are extremely pleased to organize the first Jr. NBA League in Poland; it is a great honor for us,” said Marcin Bulanda, President of the Projekt Basket Association. “The NBA is an inspiration and a dream for all young basketball players. We hope that through the Jr. NBA League, we will encourage young people to regularly practice basketball and participate in sports.
Together with the NBA, we will build a project that will unleash sports energy among children, and with the support of coaches, teachers, and parents, we will create local basketball communities and support local sports clubs.”
“We are thrilled to partner with the Projekt Basket Association to promote youth basketball by launching the first Jr. NBA League in Poland,” said Neal Meyer, NBA Vice President of Basketball Operations for Europe and the Middle East. “Together, we will offer a program that fosters healthy competition, teaches the value of the game, and creates a fun environment for children while developing their fundamental skills.”
As in the NBA, teams will be divided into two conferences and six divisions. The league begins with the Jr. NBA Draft and runs from September to March, with the top eight teams from each conference qualifying for the playoffs. The top two teams from each conference will then meet in the Finals to determine the inaugural Jr. NBA Draft Basketball League champion.
For more information about the Jr. NBA Draft Basketball League, fans can visit jr.nba.com, “NBA Coach,” and follow the Jr. NBA on Facebook (Facebook.com/jrnba), Instagram (@jrnba), and Twitter (@jrnba).
