NBA Family, Global Community to Engage Youths in Celebration of World B’ball Day

The NBA family and the global basketball community, including the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), USA Basketball, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, the National Basketball Coaches Association (NBCA) and the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), will celebrate the third annual World Basketball Day tomorrow, Sunday, Dec. 21 by engaging hundreds of millions of youth and fans in the U.S. and around the world through clinics, social media campaigns, in-arena activities and more. In conjunction with World Basketball Day and the 175th anniversary of the YMCA – where Dr James Naismith first introduced the game of basketball in 1891 – the NBA and YMCA are announcing an extension of their longstanding relationship by collaborating on year-long youth basketball and community-focused programming that will support the YMCA and the six million youth it serves in the U.S. annually. 

The collaboration will also feature renovations of some YMCA facilities across the country.

In celebration of World Basketball Day, the NBA’s global and localised social and digital media channels, which reach hundreds of millions of fans globally, will feature sound bites from NBA players about what World Basketball Day means to them.

 along with highlights of World Basketball Day activations around the world.Additionally, in collaboration with local federations and partners, the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA and NBA Basketball School programmes that reach tens of millions of youth and coaches worldwide each year will have access to a playbook with exclusive basketball training and education content.

Established in 2023 by the United Nations, World Basketball Day is observed annually on Dec. 21, the date Dr James Naismith first introduced the game of basketball at the YMCA in Springfield, Mass., in 1891, and celebrates cross-cultural unity through a shared passion for the game and the values it represents.  Today, basketball is the fastest-growing sport in the world and the No. 2 sport globally.  NBA fans are encouraged to participate by tagging @nba, @nbacares and @jrnba on social media using the hashtag #WorldBasketballDay.

World Basketball Day will also serve as a “3-for-1 Day” in NBA All-Star Voting.  On Dec. 21, fans with an NBA ID can submit one ballot each day via the NBA App and NBA.com to have their vote count three times.