How UAE youngsters are chasing basketball dreams

Hamdan Alnuami’s athletic dreams are as big as his determination to break ankles and finish at the rim just like his favourite player Kyrie Irving in the clutch. The 15-year-old Emirati pupil aspires to one day don the jersey of the UAE national basketball team.

For the past three years, he’s been working to hone his skills, learning from some of the best international coaches and players as part of the Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League, a youth basketball league for boys and girls from local schools across Abu Dhabi which is part of the league’s global Jr. NBA programme.

“Kyrie Irving is so creative. He doesn't have just one way of scoring,” said Hamdan, a 15-year-old pupil at GEMS American Academy. “He can score at every level. He’s probably the greatest scorer of all time. He can score from anywhere on the court.”

Hamdan’s basketball journey began in 2022 when he joined the local Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League at his school. Now in its third season in Abu Dhabi, the league has grown rapidly, expanding from 75 schools to 90 teams from the capital and Al Ain, reaching over 11,000 children since its launch.

The Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League is one of 10 Jr. NBA leagues across the Middle East, collectively reaching over 4,000 youth each year. This Jr. NBA just one part of the NBA’s global grassroots-to-high-performance system, where players can progress from youth leagues like the Jr. NBA and NBA Basketball Schools to advanced programmes such as Basketball Without Borders (BWB) and the elite-level NBA Academy.

Through these various programmes, the NBA aims to put in place the necessary building blocks to nurture talent and develop the next generation of basketball players in the Middle East. The end goal is to one day have the first Emirati boy or girl play in the NBA.

“I was inspired by my sister to try basketball. It started as a hobby after school, just playing with friends,” shared Hamdan, who plays point guard. “Then I got introduced to the Jr. NBA, and that’s when I started taking the game seriously.”

Hamdan began training at home with a coach and studying professional players. “I would watch NBA games, learn from my favourite players, and observe friends and other teams to understand their mistakes. I tried to be around basketball as much as possible,” he explained.

Initiatives like the Jr. NBA programmes have become a critical stepping stone for school-level basketball players in the UAE aspiring to elevate their game and pursue a career in the sport.

The organisation recently concluded its third and largest Jr. NBA Week in the Middle East in Abu Dhabi, with 65 clinics for youth, coaches and referees engaging more than 7,000 youth and 450 coaches from across the region. The week-long activities were hosted in collaboration with the Boston Celtics and the Denver Nuggets around The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2024, and included clinics at NBA District and NYU Abu Dhabi, a Her Time to Play Day, coaches and referee clinics, a NBA Cares clinic, and an NBA Basketball School tournament, among others.

As part of the activities surrounding last week’s NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2024, the league also hosted a female-only clinic and leadership panel for 130 girls from the local community. At the ‘Her Time To Play’ event, the girls heard from two-time WNBA champion Sylvia Fowles, former WNBA player and Boston Celtics Vice President of Team Operations & Organizational Growth, Allison Feaster, and female Muslim basketball influencer Jamad Fiin about female empowerment, overcoming challenges and women in sports. Afterwards, the girls also had the opportunity develop their on-court skills with an all-female coaching staff.

Shamma Aljasmi, who has been playing basketball for 10 years, was at the Her Time To Play clinic, listening to her role models.

Shamma, who plays point guard, said that basketball has been a lifeline during these teenage years, helping her cope with stress and build resilience. She hopes to continue playing the sport in college.

“I feel free on the court, and it helps me manage stress and negativity. Without basketball, I don’t think I’d be doing as well academically. I hope to keep playing, whether on a college team or beyond, and continue competing in matches,” she said.

Earlier in the week, Shamma also participated in the Jr. NBA Elite Camp for the first time. “On the first day, I was nervous and shy. The competition is at a different level, but I was happy to be pushed out of my comfort zone. Everyone was supportive and helped us improve every day,” said the 15-year-old pupil from ADNOC.

Hamdan is also determined to turn his extracurricular passion into a full-fledged career and believes he’s well on his way.

“Of course, school comes first, and my parents support me as long as I stay focused on my studies. But they also let me play with my team, Al Jazeera, every day. They tell me, ‘It could lead to a college scholarship, so keep chasing that national team dream.’”