Dart and JR. NBA/JR.WNBA Bring Best-In-Class Basketball to Future Leaders

Investment company Dart, in its multi-year collaboration with the National Basketball Association (NBA), hosted the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Week in Grand Cayman on 13 – 17 November 2024. 

“With the support of our founder Ken Dart, we are able to bring the transformative power of the NBA, one of the world’s most globally revered sports leagues, to the young people of the Cayman Islands,” said Dart Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Mark VanDevelde. “The NBA encourages confidence, resilience and joy in our youth, vital components in building a bright and prosperous future.” 

The Cayman Islands Jr. NBA/Jr. WBNA week featured a slate of diverse and inclusive activities to immerse players of all experience levels in the NBA values of teamwork, respect, determination and community. The week tipped off with a skills clinic for Special Olympics Cayman Islands athletes, coaches and volunteers. Players took part in drills, competitions and coaching. Promising young talents invited by the Cayman Islands Basketball Association polished their abilities, leadership and decision-making in a skills challenge. The week culminated in the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA 3 X 3 tournament with school and community teams from Grand Cayman and the Sister Islands. Each team was assigned an NBA team and received corresponding NBA team-branded jerseys. 

A new offering for Cayman in 2024 is “Her Time to Play”, the WNBA’s initiative dedicated to providing girls with ways to connect, collaborate, and actively engage with basketball and one another. Nearly 60 girls aged 10-17 participated. 

“Dart is especially excited to introduce the Jr. WNBA’s Her Time to Play to Cayman,” said Dart and Kenneth B. Dart Foundation Director Jackie Doak. “With the explosive popularity of the WNBA among fans and global investors and the league’s historic class of rookie players like Caitlin Clake and Angel Reese inspiring young girls to see themselves as leaders on and off the court, this initiative champions the kind of lasting change Dart has supported through youth sports for decades.”  

The NBA’s expanding global reach has been fueled by its long-term focus on growing programmes for youth. NBA’s grassroots basketball development programming reaches tens of millions of youth in more than 180 countries annually.

Cayman, with a population of less than 90,000 comprised of 140 different nationalities, is one of the smallest countries in which the NBA hosts its youth programmes,

Cayman, with a population of less than 90,000 comprised of 140 different nationalities, is one of the smallest countries in which the NBA hosts its youth programmes, 

“As we celebrated the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Week hosted by Dart in the Cayman Islands, we’re reminded of the incredible energy and passion for basketball that thrives in this vibrant community, said NBA Latin America’s Basketball and Business Operations Head Marc Pulles. “The dedication from young athletes, families, and local supporters exemplifies the power of sport to unite and inspire. We’re proud to bring the Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA experience to the Cayman Islands, fostering future stars and building a legacy of teamwork, resilience, and opportunity.”