Gumbo Basic School Hawks Crowned Stanbic Jr. NBA Champions in Juba

The second season of the Stanbic Jr. NBA Finals, held in collaboration with Stanbic Bank and the Luol Deng Foundation, concluded over the weekend at Nimra Talata Stadium in Juba, South Sudan.

Gumbo Basic School Hawks emerged champions after defeating Liberty Complex School Clippers in an exciting final that capped a highly competitive youth basketball season.

Representing the Eastern Conference, the Hawks delivered a strong performance to outscore the Western Conference champions and secure the league title.

The two teams had earlier dominated their respective conferences during the playoffs held between February 25 and March 5.

In the East, Gumbo Basic School Hawks clinched the conference series 2–0 to be crowned Eastern Conference champions.

Liberty Complex School Clippers, representing the Western Conference, secured their place in the final after winning their series 2–1 to lift the Western Conference title.

The championship game marked the climax of a 127-game season that featured 27 teams drawn from across the region, with more than 450 boys and girls participating in the competition.

The Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA programme is the NBA’s global youth basketball initiative aimed at developing young talent while teaching the fundamental skills and values of the sport, including teamwork, respect, determination and community.

The programme continues to expand across the continent and has now been launched in 19 African countries, reaching more than 390,000 young players last year.