Dear Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Players, Parents, Coaches and Officials,

Have fun and keep dreaming! When I was a young boy, basketball was my passion. While growing up, my parents supported my love for the game by making sure that it was always fun for me to play. Who knew where basketball would take me? All I knew was that playing hoops and being part of a team gave me the ultimate thrill.

Now as a parent myself, I have tried to do the same for my four boys. As with all of their interests, I’ve supported them in their dreams of basketball excellence. Every player dreams about playing in the NBA or WNBA. But young players also need to be smart and have a back-up dream. One that finds them not in the NBA or WNBA, but having fun playing basketball forever, taking the lessons learned as a member of the team and using them to achieve success in any role they chose to play.

Thank you for making the game fun and supporting those basketball dreams!

Bill Walton
Member, Basketball Hall of Fame