Stanbic Bank in South Sudan, NBA Africa (www.NBA.com) and the Luol Deng Foundation today hosted the first edition of the Stanbic Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Finals, which took place at the Nimra Talata Basketball Stadium in Juba, South Sudan. Juba One 76ers were crowned the inaugural season’s champions, with Khalid Jibrin named the finals’ Most Valuable Player.
Notable attendees included Stanbic Bank South Sudan Head of Business Fred Ouko, Luol Deng Foundation Founder and two-time NBA All-Star Luol Deng, Luol Deng Foundation CEO Arek Deng, 1995 NBA All-Star and 1992 Slam Dunk champion Cedric Ceballos, Basketball Africa League President Amadou Gallo Fall, and South Sudan national team members Wenyen Gabriel, Kuany Kuany and Nuni Omot. The event builds on Stanbic Bank and NBA Africa’s multiyear collaboration, which launched in 2022 and featured the unveiling of a new outdoor basketball court at St. Mark’s Orthodox School in Juba last December.
“The remarkable performance of the South Sudan national basketball team at the Paris Olympics highlighted the tremendous sporting talent within South Sudan,” said Stanbic Bank Chief Executive for Kenya and South Sudan Dr. Joshua Oigara. “Through our collaboration with NBA Africa and the Luol Deng Foundation, we are supporting the country to build on this potential and remain committed to driving South Sudan’s growth through meaningful collaborations and initiatives.”
“The success of the first Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA league season in Juba speaks to the great passion for the game of basketball in South Sudan and its impact on local communities,” said NBA Africa CEO Clare Akamanzi. “The South Sudan national team’s performance on a global stage in recent months demonstrated how much the sport is growing in the country and we look forward to further collaborating with Stanbic Bank and the Luol Deng Foundation to make the game even more accessible for young people here.”
“I knew South Sudanese children had what it takes when the stage is set right for their learning, so I was not surprised about the talent,” said Deng. “What impressed me the most is the improvement in coaching and seeing how each school showed up to support players. The joy, the competitive, but yet peaceful spirit that the spectating students showed was so amazing to see.”
“This is my first visit to South Sudan, and it was incredible to see all the excitement on the court this afternoon,” said Ceballos. “I have seen firsthand the impact basketball can make on young people’s lives and continuing to build on such platforms for boys and girls to play the game will be paramount to their success on the court, and in life.”
The Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA 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 – at the grassroots level in an effort to help grow and improve the youth basketball experience for players, coaches and parents. The Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA program has been launched in 19 African countries, reaching more than 170,000 youth from across the continent last year.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of National Basketball Association (NBA).
Contacts:
Rachel Nderitu
Stanbic Bank
NderituR@stanbic.com
+254723710540
Pawel Weszka
NBA Africa
pweszka@nba.com
+27 10 007 2666
About Stanbic Bank:
Stanbic Bank is a member of the Standard Bank Group, Africa’s largest bank by assets. Stanbic Bank is licensed and regulated by the Bank of South Sudan and has provided banking services in South Sudan since 2004, before the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005. The bank provides corporate, business and personal banking services to the key sectors that drive the South Sudan economy, including Oil & Gas, Power & Infrastructure, Humanitarian & Development Assistance, Government, Telecommunications and Insurance.
About NBA Africa:
NBA Africa is an affiliate of the National Basketball Association (NBA), a global sports and media organization with the mission to inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of basketball. NBA Africa conducts the league’s business in Africa, including the Basketball Africa League (BAL), and has opened subsidiary offices in Cairo, Egypt; Dakar, Senegal; Johannesburg, South Africa; Lagos, Nigeria; and Nairobi, Kenya. The league’s efforts on the continent have focused on increasing access to basketball and the NBA through youth and elite development, social responsibility, media distribution, corporate partnerships, NBA Africa Games, NBA Stores, the BAL, and more.
NBA games and programming are available in all 54 African countries, and the NBA has hosted three sold-out exhibition games on the continent since 2015. The BAL, a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and NBA Africa, is a professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa that concluded its fourth season in June 2024. Fans can follow @ NBA_Africa and @ theBAL on Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.
About Luol Deng Foundation:
The Luol Deng Foundation (LDF) was established in 2005 to empower youth to realize their limitless potential through sport and development. LDF creates pathways to opportunity through sport, education, wellness, and equality. Over the years, LDF has grown beyond basketball and expanded its reach into areas of education, wellness, and equality for young South Sudanese. We believe youth are the key to transforming our country and our world.
For more information visit www.LuolDeng.org, follow @ ldengf on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
