As part of NBA All-Star 2020, members of the NBA family will support tens of thousands of children across Chicago’s neighborhoods through programs and events tipping off on Wednesday, Feb. 12. Together with Chicago Public Schools and more than 40 community-based organizations, including Center on Halsted, Greater Chicago Food Depository, City Year Chicago and YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, the NBA’s programs will focus on promoting physical and mental wellness, teaching the values and fundamentals of the game, creating spaces for open dialogue and mentorship, supporting those in need and empowering the city’s next generation of leaders.
The week-long efforts will be highlighted by the first-ever NBA All-Star Youth Leadership Council, a group of 20 high school-aged young people from throughout Chicago that first convened in November 2019 in partnership with the Chicago Bulls, After School Matters, Chicago CRED and Youth Guidance. The students, who have met weekly in small groups to research challenges impacting their neighborhoods and collaborate on solutions, will present their perspectives and vision for change through five youth-led community projects for the first time at the NBA Voices Youth Summit on Thursday, Feb. 13. Together, these projects, which will come to life in the coming months, will empower the youth leaders to help shape the impact and legacy of NBA All-Star 2020 and effect change in their communities.
As part of the new NBA All-Star Game format change announced last month, every quarter counts for Chicago-based charities, with Team LeBron and Team Giannis playing for Chicago Scholars and After School Matters, respectively. At the conclusion of the first three quarters, $100,000 will be awarded to the leading team’s selected organization – $300,000 for those three quarters. The remaining $200,000 will be awarded to the team’s organization that reaches the Final Target Score first in the untimed fourth quarter. If one team wins each of the first three quarters and reaches the Final Target Score first, $500,000 will be donated to the winning team’s charity and $100,000 will be donated to the losing team’s charity. Both organizations will attend NBA All-Star Practice & Media Day presented by AT&T in addition to the All-Star Game and will participate in special in-arena experiences.
Along with members of the Youth Leadership Council and the beneficiaries, hundreds of youth from across Chicago’s neighborhoods will enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime experience at NBA Rising Stars, State Farm® All-Star Saturday Night and the 69th NBA All-Star Game. In total, more than $1 million will be contributed to local organizations during NBA All-Star 2020 through NBA Cares community outreach efforts.
NBA Cares All-Star Community Events Schedule:
Below is a list of the NBA Cares, NBA Voices and Jr. NBA events and activations taking place Wednesday, Feb. 12 – Sunday, Feb. 16. In addition to the league’s events, current and former NBA players, partners and members of the NBA family will engage youth, families and neighborhoods through dozens of events across Chicago.
- Center on Halsted Dinner and Conversation (Wednesday, Feb. 12):
– Former NBA and WNBA players and members of the NBA family will participate in a conversation with LGBTQ youth and allies from the Center on Halsted. A leading provider for the LGBTQ community in Chicago, Center on Halsted is dedicated to advancing community and health through personalized support services, programming and a safe and welcoming environment.
- Lurie Children’s Hospital Visit (Thursday, Feb. 13):
– Members of the NBA family will visit patients and their families at Lurie Children’s Hospital, the largest pediatric provider in the region, for a morning of games, crafts and entertainment.
- NBA All-Star FIT Celebration presented by Kaiser Permanente (Thursday, Feb. 13):
– The NBA, Kaiser Permanente, YWCA Metropolitan Chicago and Chicago Public Schools will come together to dedicate a refurbished gym, parent resource center and a brand new mindfulness and peace room at Emmett Till Fine & Performing Arts Magnet School. NBA All-Stars and legends will also lead students in oncourt clinics and healthy snack, STEM and meditation activities that encourage total health. Renamed in honor of former sutdent Emmett Till, the school provides socio-emotional, athletic and enrichment programs to students in the Woodlawn neighborhood.
- NBA Voices Youth Summit (Thursday, Feb. 13):
– In partnership with After School Matters, Chicago CRED and Youth Guidance, NBA players and legends and community, civic and more than 75 youth leaders from across the city will come together for a series of engaging conversations focused on empowering local youth to drive change in their neighborhoods. NBA All-Star Youth Leadership Council members will share their vision for change and present their community project proposals, which will come to life in the Auburn Gresham, Englewood, West Humboldt Park, Roseland and Austin/North Lawndale neighborhoods in the coming months.
- NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service (Friday, Feb. 14):
– More than 500 volunteers, including NBA and WNBA players, legends and coaches, will participate in the 13th NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service with support from Nike, SAP and State Farm®. Volunteers will pack food donations at the Greater Chicago Food Depository, which works with a network of community organizations, schools, faith-based institutions and service providers to end hunger in low-income neighborhoods across the city of Chicago and Cook County. Others will join City Year of Chicago to package school success kits for local teachers and students.
- NBA Cares Special Olympics Unified Sports® Basketball Game (Friday, Feb. 14):
– NBA and WNBA players and legends will join 12 Special Olympics athletes from Chicago and around the world for a demonstration game at Wintrust Arena before the 2020 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game presented by Ruffles. For every four-pointer made from behind “The RIDGE” during the Celebrity Game, Ruffles and the NBA will donate $4,000 to Special Olympics to foster environments of acceptance and inclusion in sports. On Saturday morning, NBA legends will host a clinic and luncheon for 60 local Special Olympics Illinois athletes.
- Building Bridges Through Basketball (Friday, Feb. 14):
– In partnership with Under Armour and RISE, the NBA will dedicate a new basketball court to Chicago’s Union League Boys and Girls Club to celebrate the fourth year of the Building Bridges Through Basketball The 10-week program brings together Chicago youth and law enforcement from Humboldt Park, Pilsen and Englewood for basketball clinics, facilitated conversations and leadership activities to explore concepts of identity, diversity, stereotypes, conflict resolution and teamwork.
- Hoops For Troops (Thursday, Feb. 13 – Sunday, Feb. 16):
– Throughout the week, the NBA will partner with the United Service Organizations (USO) and Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) to host special experiences for active duty military members and families of fallen servicemen and women.
- Make-A-Wish® (Thursday, Feb. 13 – Sunday, Feb. 16):
– The NBA and Make-A-Wish will grant the wishes of eight children facing critical illnesses, treating the youth and their families to several days of fun events, including the NBA Rising Stars Game, NBA All-Star Practice & Media Day, State Farm All-Star Saturday Night® and the All-Star Game.
- United Center and Wintrust Arena Sensory Inclusion (Friday, Feb. 14 – Sunday, Feb. 16):
– The NBA and Chicago Bulls have partnered with KultureCity, a leading organization rethinking accessibility for families with sensory needs, to provide an inclusive experience for all fans at the United Center and Wintrust Arena. As part of this certification, staff at both arenas have been trained to accommodate guests, and fans will have free access to noise-canceling headphones, fidget tools and a designated quiet room at the United Center during All-Star events. - NBA Green Efforts (Friday, Feb. 14 – Sunday, Feb. 16):
– As part of NBA Green efforts to generate awareness for protecting the environment, the league will purchase renewable energy credits to offset its energy use during NBA All-Star events at the United Center, Wintrust Arena, McCormick Place, Navy Pier, and additional events, meetings and receptions at properties across Chicago. Additionally, AT&T will upcycle the signs and banners used at Wintrust Arena, transforming them into more than 2,000 useful items that will be distributed to underserved communities through AT&T Believes Chicago.
Jr. NBA presented by Under Armour Schedule of Events:
- Discovery Education Virtual Field Trip (Thursday, Feb. 13):
– The NBA and Discovery Education are bringing the All-Star Virtual Field Trip (VFT) to classrooms across the country, introducing students to NBA-related careers that utilize storytelling.
- Jr. NBA Day (Friday, Feb. 14):
– In partnership with Under Armour, more than 1,000 Chicago Public School students from nearly 50 Chicago neighborhoods will participate in the fifth Annual Jr. NBA Day at Navy Pier. NBA All-Stars and WNBA players will lead three sessions of basketball clinics on courts provided by SnapSports, including a female-focused Her Time To Play session, as part of the league’s initiative to inspire girls to learn and play basketball.
- Gatorade Jr. NBA All-Star Invitational (Friday, Feb. 14 – Saturday, Feb. 15):
– Sixteen of the top boys and girls middle school basketball teams that advanced from a larger pool of 92 teams from across Chicago will compete in the Gatorade Jr. NBA All-Star Invitational, a two-day tournament that will feature quarterfinal games on Friday followed by the semifinal and championship games on Saturday at Wintrust Arena. The boys and girls championship games, which will be aired on NBA TV, will see the winning teams earn a spot in the NBA Global Championship Midwest Regional to compete against top teams from the region for a chance to advance to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Fla. in August. - Jr. NBA Skills Challenge and 3v3 All-Star Tournament (Friday, Feb. 14 – Saturday, Feb. 15):
– More than 600 youth will compete for a chance to advance to the national finals of the Jr. NBA Skills Challenge and Jr. NBA 3v3 held in New York and Indianapolis, respectively. - Jr. NBA Respect for the Game Forums (Friday, Feb. 14 – Sunday, Feb. 16):
– The Jr. NBA will host Respect for the Game forums at Jr. NBA events throughout the weekend to promote a positive youth basketball experience and healthy and respectful relationships between players, coaches, parents, referees and fans. The Positive Coaching Alliance will provide tools and resources for each stakeholder group, while leading conversations about developing healthy relationships, respectful communication and sportsmanship. - NBA Referee Clinic (Sunday, Feb. 16):
– NBA and G League officials will host an hour-long officiating clinic with teenage young people from After School Matters’ Basketball Officiating Program. The event will include an oncourt skills and drills session as well as an opportunity for youth to learn from NBA Officials about their pathway to the league and careers in basketball officiating.
About NBA Cares
NBA Cares is the league’s global social responsibility program that builds on the NBA’s mission of addressing important social issues. NBA Cares programs and participants have provided more than 5.5 million hours of hands-on service and created more than 1,375 places where kids and families can live, learn or play in communities around the world. Internationally, NBA Cares has created more than 332 places where kids and families can live, learn or play in 40 countries and territories. NBA Cares works with nationally and internationally recognized youth-serving programs that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes, including: Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Vera Institute of Justice, Thurgood Marshall College Fund, UNICEF, Special Olympics, The Jed Foundation, Share Our Strength and GLSEN.
About the Jr. NBA
The Jr. NBA presented by Under Armour 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. The Jr. NBA is focused on helping grow and improve the youth basketball experience at the grassroots level for players, coaches and parents, and offers a free curriculum covering all levels of the game that includes 48 practice plans and more than 250 instructional videos featuring NBA and WNBA players. The second Jr. NBA Global Championship, a global youth basketball tournament for top 13- and 14-year-old boys and girls teams from around the world, will take place from August 6-11 at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Fla.
In partnership with USA Basketball, the NBA developed two sets of youth basketball guidelines which promote player health and wellness and age-appropriate rules and standards. Through a network of affiliated youth basketball organizations and programs such as the Jr. NBA Skills Challenge presented by Verizon and 3v3 Leagues presented by Shock Doctor, the Jr. NBA program has reached more than five million youth ages 6-14 in the U.S. and Canada since launching its expanded efforts in October 2015. The Jr. NBA partnership network is comprised of youth basketball programs of all NBA, WNBA and NBA G League teams as well as elementary and middle schools, military bases and longstanding community partners. For more information and to register for the Jr. NBA, visit www.JrNBA.com or download the Jr. NBA app.