Jr. NBA

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The Memphis Grizzlies and Nike understand the positive impacts that coaches have on young people, and thus select a Coach of the Year annually to recognize their on-and-off-court contributions to the youth basketball community.

This year, the Grizzlies proudly select Mariah Chandler as its Coach of the Year. As such, Mariah will receive a commemorative trophy as well as other tokens of appreciation. Furthermore, she will serve as the team’s nominee for National Jr. NBA Coach of the Year – a league-wide initiative that recognizes other phenomenal youth basketball coaches across the NBA, WNBA and G League.

Following a stellar high school career in which she earned multiple all-state honors, Mariah Chandler won a national championship as a member of the Baylor University Lady Bears. After college, she interned and coached collegiately and from a youth basketball perspective, coached AAU while also training boys and girls at The Skills Factory – a founding member of the Jr. NBA Flagship Network. Additionally, she has volunteered with non-profits to assist with youth basketball camps in countries such as Brazil and Zimbabwe.

Currently, Mariah serves as a Basketball Operations Assistant for the Memphis Grizzlies, a role in which she contributes to the team’s on-court success by preparing game film for multiple Grizzlies players. Beyond her official job duties, she also volunteers with Grizzlies Youth Basketball. In March 2020, for example, she served as lead clinician for a Her Time To Play event that featured then-assistant coach Niele Ivey. Since the onset of the pandemic, she has also been a key contributor to the team’s virtual content efforts including Jr. NBA at Home, summertime virtual workouts, and multiple instructional videos.

If you’re a coach or administrator wanting to get involved with Grizzlies Youth Basketball programs – perhaps as a league affiliate, camp host, coach, or volunteer – email us at youthbasketball@grizzlies.com.

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2020-21 Grizzlies Youth Basketball Coach of the Year presented by Nike

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Memphis, Tenn. – The National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced the formation of Jr. NBA Court of Leaders, a youth leadership council comprised of 18 15- and 16-year-old basketball players from across the U.S. Launched in conjunction with the sixth annual Jr. NBA Week (April 11-17), Jr. NBA Court of Leaders aims to empower promising young men and women by providing resources to further develop as leaders and a platform to amplify their voices within their communities and across the youth basketball landscape.

Memphis Grizzlies forward/center Jaren Jackson Jr. will co-chair the Jr. NBA Court of Leaders along with Minnesota Lynx’s Napheesa Collier. Both Jackson Jr. and Collier have previously worked with youth athletes and supported the league’s basketball development programming as Jr. NBA ambassadors.

"It's an awesome thing to see the Jr. NBA providing a platform to reward and empower young athletes who have displayed exceptional passion, leadership and work ethic,” said Jackson Jr. “The basketball space needs more young voices advocating for their peers and the future of the sport, and I look forward to supporting the Jr. NBA Court of Leaders as they create positive change on the court and in their communities.”

Jaren has a significant focus in supporting women’s empowerment initiatives. He is a second year ambassador for Nike’s Game Growers program which is geared towards encouraging 7th and 8th grade girls to increase sports participation in their communities. He was also featured on the TODAY Show in April of last year promoting the Jr. NBA program and providing at-home suggestions to help young players practice at home during quarantine. Locally, Jackson Jr. has also participated in various Grizzlies Youth Basketball programs – including headlining the team’s first-ever All-Girls Summer Basketball Camp in 2019 – and has hosted a Girls Summit and coinciding basketball clinic of his own.

Jr. NBA Court of Leaders members will participate in personal development programming focused on topics including leadership, decision-making, mental wellness and civic engagement, and convene monthly for webinars and workshops featuring guest speakers to broaden their understanding of issues related to social justice, gender equality and career opportunities in the sports industry. The young men and women will also meet with the NBA’s youth basketball development team on a quarterly basis to offer insights on improving the youth basketball experience and enhancing Jr. NBA programs and events to meet young players’ evolving needs. The group will also collaborate on an annual social responsibility project to positively impact their communities.

The Jr. NBA is the league’s global youth basketball program for boys and girls that teaches the fundamental skills and core values of the game: teamwork, respect, determination and community. The Jr. NBA is focused on helping grow and improve the youth basketball experience at the grassroots level 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. During the 2019-20 season, the NBA and its teams reached 14.5M youth around the world through in-person events and clinics, before transitioning to virtual programming and online youth basketball development events that generated more than 210M views from youth players and fans in 118 countries. The Jr. NBA Global Championship is an annual youth basketball tournament that brings together top 13- and 14-year-old boys and girls teams from around the world for basketball competition, life skills education and community service programming. For more information visit www.JrNBA.com or download the Jr. NBA app.

Grizzlies Youth Basketball presented by Nike

Fans can follow along the Grizzlies’ Jr. NBA Week celebration – which includes various player/coach recognitions, equipment donations, giveaway opportunities, and more – at www.MemGrizzYouth.com/jrnbaweek, or can follow @MemGrizzYouth (Twitter/Instagram/Facebook).

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Memphis Grizzlies’ Jaren Jackson Jr. to serve as Jr. NBA Court of Leaders co-chair

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Jr. NBA 3-on-3 MLK Tournament Photos

Memphis Grizzlies

Memphis Grizzlies Youth Basketball affiliate, Team Thad, has advanced to the Jr. NBA Global Championship Regional Finals to be held at LakePoint Champions Center in Emerson, Ga. from June 14 -16. Team Thad was the undefeated winner of the Grizzlies’ first-ever Jr. NBA Global Championship Local Qualifier held this past April at FedExForum. The group will advance to compete against multiple teams across the Southeast region, all in hopes of advancing to the Global Finals in Orlando, Fla. this August.

In its second year, the Jr. NBA Global Championship is a youth basketball tournament for the top 13 and 14-year-old players from around the world. The Global Finals will feature both boys and girls divisions, each comprised of 16 regional champion teams that will participate in on-court competition and off-court programming. Each Regional Finals will consist of pool play competition followed by single-elimination bracket play, and every team will play a minimum of four games. The 2019 Global Finals will take place in August at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort. The Grizzlies were just one of a select number of NBA teams to host a Local Qualifier and were the only organization to do so inside an NBA venue.

The Regional Finals will be streamed on both FloHoops and Eleven Sports USA, and fans can follow Grind City Media’s Michael Wallace (@MyMikeCheck) and Grizzlies Youth Basketball (@MemGrizzYouth) for Team Thad’s results and other tournament content. To learn more about the Jr. NBA Global Championship, visit www.jrnbagc.nba.com.

Fans who want to support the Memphis Grizzlies and purchase 2019-20 Season Tickets can do so now by calling (901) 888-HOOP or going online to grizzlies.com/tickets. For more information on the Grizzlies, visit grizzlies.com, ‘like’ Memphis Grizzlies on Facebook or follow on Twitter and Instagram (@memgrizz).

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Memphis Grizzlies Youth Basketball affiliate to compete at Southeast Regional Finals of the Jr. NBA Global Championship

The Memphis Grizzlies will host their first ever Veterans Day Youth Basketball Clinic on Monday, November 12 on the FedExForum main court from 2 – 4 p.m. The clinic is open to kids ages 6-16, with all skill levels welcome as participants will be grouped by age and ability.

Young athletes will have the opportunity to develop their shooting, dribbling and defensive skills and get the chance to train on the Grizzlies’ home court. Each registrant will also receive two tickets to a Grizzlies game of their choice between either that night’s game against the Utah Jazz or the Friday, November 16 matchup vs. the Sacramento Kings. For just $75, participants will receive skills training led by Grizzlies Youth Basketball staff as well as various giveaways and prize opportunities. Attendees will also receive access to pregame warmups to watch their favorite players like Mike Conley, Marc Gasol and Jaren Jackson Jr. warm up before the game. In addition, clinic participants will serve as “Anthem Buddies” where they’ll stand alongside the NBA players during the National Anthem.

Limited clinic spots are available. To register, click Here.

Fans who want to support the Memphis Grizzlies and purchase 2018-19 Season Tickets, 22-, 10-Game and Flex Packs can do so now by calling (901) 888-HOOP or going online to grizzlies.com/tickets. Single Game Tickets are now available for purchase at the FedExForum Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, ticketmaster.com, online at grizzlies.com/tickets or by calling 1-800-4NBA-TIX. For more information on the Grizzlies, visit grizzlies.com, ‘like’ Memphis Grizzlies on Facebook or follow on Twitter and Instagram (@memgrizz)

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Memphis Grizzlies to host Veterans Day Clinic on Monday, November 12 at FedExForum

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Mike Conley hosts Jr. NBA tip-off event

The Memphis Grizzlies continued their dedication to promoting youth fitness and strengthening the Binghampton community with the Jr. NBA tip-off at Lester Community Center on Wednesday, October 14. Jr. NBA Ambassador and Grizzlies guard Mike Conley hosted fitness drills with over 50 children from around the community. The first in a series of Jr. NBA events, Conley’s participation furthers his commitment to youth development and enforces using the power of sport to transform and empower lives. Through the initiative, Conley hopes to teach kids both sports and life skills that are crucial to growth and success in college and career.

The Jr. NBA presented by Under Armour is the league’s newly-launched youth basketball participation program that teaches the fundamental skills and values of the game at the grassroots level to help grow and improve the game, and to help youth develop a lifelong passion for basketball. The Jr. NBA program aims to reach five million youth ages 6-14 in the U.S. and Canada over a two-year period as part of its expanded efforts launched in October 2015.

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Mike Conley hosts Jr. NBA tip-off event in Binghampton

Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley will host a skills and drills basketball clinic tomorrow at Lester Community Center for 50 kids* from the Binghampton community – his first event as the Grizzlies’ Jr. NBA Ambassador. Media is invited to attend. (*The clinic is not open to the public and has already been filled.)

Conley signed on to be the Grizzlies’ Jr. NBA Ambassador because of his commitment to youth development through the power of sport. He has elected to use his celebrity as an NBA player to not only teach the fundamentals of the game, but also to share the intrinsic life skills that are so crucial in the growth and development of young people. This season, Conley will host a series of clinics in which he will give participating youth basketballs, shoes and other equipment to ensure they have the tools and confidence to properly engage in the game.

Fans who want to support the Memphis Grizzlies by purchasing 2015-16 Season Tickets, 15- or 22-Game Packs can do so by calling (901) 888-HOOP or going online to grizzlies.com. Single-Game tickets for all Grizzlies games, including Opening Night, Oct. 28 versus the Cleveland Cavaliers, are available now. For more information on the Grizzlies, ‘like’ Memphis Grizzlies on Facebook or follow on Twitter (@memgrizz).

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Mike Conley tips off NBA's newest Youth Basketball Initiative, Jr. NBA, at Lester Community Center

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