Centennial freshman among 40 selected to youth showcase
NBA Summer League isn’t the only showcase the NBA is bringing to UNLV next month.
Cox Pavilion from July 12 through 16 is hosting the Jr. NBA Showcase, welcoming 40 top 13- and 14-year-old basketball players for leadership, player development and exhibition games July 15, the NBA and WNBA announced Thursday morning.
The five-day basketball bonanza coincides with NBA Summer League and the WNBA’s annual All-Star weekend, returning this season to Mandalay Bay’s Michelob Ultra Arena for the third time in the last five years.
Among the participants in the Jr. NBA Showcase is Las Vegan and Centennial freshman forward Nation Williams, daughter of Aces general manager Natalie Williams and one of the top players in the class of 2027. She has scholarship offers from North Carolina and Florida, among others.
“The Jr. NBA Showcase will provide a platform for elite players from around the world to further develop as players and leaders, showcase their potential and create lifelong memories at what will be the epicenter of basketball in Las Vegas this summer,” said NBA senior vice president David Krichavsky, who heads the league’s youth basketball development.
“Together with Nike, the NBA and WNBA are committed to improving the youth basketball experience at all levels of the game, and the Jr. NBA Showcase provides an opportunity to help prepare standout 13- and 14-year-old players for the next step in their basketball journeys.”
Contact Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.