Jr. NBA Youth Basketball is a national youth basketball program for children ages 5 to 12 that encourages a fun, active and healthy learning environment.

The 12–week curriculum complies with Sport for Life’s Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) Model and is aligned with Canada Basketball’s Development Pathway.

Jr. NBA is a turnkey program, providing hosts with the full curriculum, participant materials and coach training required to deliver the programming.

Not only will participants learn the fundamental skills of basketball through fun, engaging games, they will also learn essential life skills including leadership, sportsmanship, teamwork and respect.

The focus is on FUN—get involved!

The focus is on fun – get involved!

Program Details

Curriculum

  • The Jr. NBA curriculum follows Canada Basketball’s Long-Term Athlete Development model, with age-appropriate stages for 5–6, 7–9, and 10–12 year-olds.
  • Each session integrates basketball skills with life-skill themes such as teamwork, respect, and perseverance.
  • Activities use a game-based approach that emphasizes fun, creativity, and decision-making in small-sided play.      Coaches are supported with weekly print-friendly lesson plans, an online resource library, and e-learning modules to ensure consistent, high-quality delivery.
  • Coaches are supported with weekly print-friendly lesson plans, an online resource library, and e-learning modules to ensure consistent, high-quality delivery.

Coaching

  • Coaches get easy-to-use lesson plans, access to NCCP FUNdamentals training, and online tools that make running fun, high-quality practices simple and consistent.

Equipment and Uniform

  • Every participant will receive a Jr. NBA-branded reversible jersey, with the option of additional gear (basketball, shorts, swag bundle).
  • All equipment will be age-appropriate (smaller basketballs and adjustable nets), giving every child in the Jr. NBA a better opportunity to succeed.

Cost

  • Program cost varies by community. Visit the Jr NBA Find Your Club page to get more details on pricing.

Play

To play in the Jr NBA, find a program in your area.

Run a Program

Interested in running a Jr NBA program in your community? Enroll Today

More Information

For full details on the Jr NBA, visit www.JrNBA.ca.

Contact

To get in touch with a Jr. NBA staff member, please reach out to Benjamin Li (Manager, Youth Development, Canada Basketball) at bli@basketball.ca