Ontario Basketball (OBA) is the governing body for basketball in the province. A member of Canada Basketball, the national governing body for basketball, OBA is the largest provincial basketball organization in the country. OBA is a non-profit entity and receives financial support from the Ontario Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries. The organization was incorporated in 1977, but its history dates back to over 80 years ago.
Ontario Basketball is led by a Board of Directors, who set the strategic direction for the organization. Professional staff and volunteer committees carry out the day-to-day activities to advance OBA’s mission and priorities and to support its 185 members clubs and nearly 50,000 players, coaches and administrators.
OBA oversees basketball development in the province through the provision of programs and services aimed at meeting the needs of the evolving provincial, national and global basketball landscape. OBA promotes basketball development in accordance with Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) and Canadian Sport for Life (CS4L) principles, and endeavours to support participants in all stages of development, from building physical literacy to developing high performance athletes to facilitating lifelong participation as athletes, coaches, officials and administrators.
Ontario Basketball works with the following organizations to develop and promote basketball across the province:
- Canada Basketball
- Provincial and Territorial Basketball Organizations
- Ontario Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries
- Toronto Raptors and Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE)
- NBA Canada
- Ontario University Athletics Association (OUA)
- Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA)
- Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA)
- Ontario Association of Basketball Officials (OABO)
- Canadian Sport Institute Ontario (CSIO)
- Coaches Association of Ontario (CAO)
What We Do
Ontario Basketball’s pillars are: Clubs & Competitions, High Performance, Basketball Development, and Coaching & Officiating.
Clubs and Competitions initiatives include:
- Ontario Basketball League: An inclusive, age and ability appropriate provincial basketball league structure designed to provide meaningful competition for male and female athletes ages U10 to U19. There are four divisions in which teams can compete: OBLX, AAA, AA and A.
- Provincial Championships and Ontario Cup: At the culmination of the basketball season, Ontario Basketball Championships are held in communities across the province; Teams are organized into divisions based on season results. Championships provide development opportunities for athletes, coaches, officials, administrators and volunteers.
- Ontario Qualification for Jr. NBA Global Championship: Winners of both the male and female OBLX U14 divisions automatically qualify for the Jr. NBA Global Championship – Canada Regional Finals, hosted by NBA Canada in June to determine which team will represent Canada at the annual Jr. NBA Global Championship in Orlando, FL each August.
High Performance initiatives include:
- Team Ontario: This program selects the top U15 and U17 male and female athletes from across the province to represent Ontario at the annual Canada Basketball National Championships, and, every four years (next in 2021), at the Canada Summer Games (U17 only).
- Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association: The OSBA is a partnership between schools and basketball programs to create an immersive preparatory sports experience for high performance basketball players at the high school level with specialized schedules that cater to training and traveling. Ontario Basketball manages the league’s 28 teams including 14 men’s and 14 women’s programs in 2019-20 that culminate in Final 8 Championships in March.
- Targeted Athlete Strategy: This national program is designed to provide the top 20 targeted male and 20 targeted female athletes in Ontario with the individualized support that they need to succeed.
- Centre for Performance: A national program in conjunction with Canada Basketball designed to develop student-athletes to compete at the international basketball level. The emphasis is to train skills that student-athletes do not have the opportunity to develop.
- Periodic hosting of Canada Basketball National Championships: Ontario Basketball has hosted this tournament once, in 2010 at Humber College, and will host again in the next few years. The Canada Basketball National Championships bring provincial teams (U15 & U17) from across Canada to compete for the title.
Basketball Development initiatives include:
- Mega Hoops: This flagship program is designed to teach fundamental movement and basic basketball skills while developing physical literacy in young athletes. Designed for Active Start (0-6), FUNdamentals (6-9) and Learn to Train (9-12) stages of LTAD.
- Ontario Summer Development Program: ODSP allows young athletes ages 12 to 14 the opportunity to work on their game during the offseason. Held in July, this summer camp-style program provides participants the opportunity to develop physically, socially and emotionally with on and off-court training in a fun and inclusive environment.
- Jr. NBA Youth Basketball: A national youth basketball program for children ages 5 to 12 that encourages a fun, active and healthy learning environment. A turnkey program through Canada Basketball, hosts are provided with full program curriculum, participant materials, and training for coaches to deliver the programs themselves.