LONDON AND LISBON – The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Portugal’s Warrior Symbol today announced a multiyear collaboration for the Warrior Symbol to launch and operate the first NBA Basketball School in Portugal.  This will mark the sixth NBA Basketball School in Europe along with programs in Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Spain and Switzerland.

The tuition-based basketball development program for youth ages 8-18 will tip off with week-long summer camps in Porto from July 3-7 and in Lisbon from July 10-14 and continue with additional preseason camps in Porto from September 4-8, followed by Lisbon from September 11-15.  Registration is open now at NBABasketballSchool.pt.

Beginning in Autumn 2024, the NBA Basketball School in Portugal will expand to a year-round program in Lisbon.  The program’s comprehensive curriculum will cover weekly on-court training, skill development and basketball education for young players under the guidance of the NBA Basketball School Technical Director and coaching staff hired and overseen by Warrior Symbol, while promoting the values of teamwork, integrity and respect.

“We look at this multiyear collaboration with the NBA as a great responsibility and we are very excited to bring the best basketball in the world to our young athletes across Portugal,” said Warrior Symbol CEO, Nuno Tavares.  “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress and working together is a success.  With this mindset we will offer the opportunity to learn the “NBA way” in the two largest cities in Portugal, Lisbon and Porto, which is built with input from some of the best current and former NBA coaches, players and player development specialists, and we will also work with local coaches to help them improve, while promoting the values of teamwork, integrity and respect.  Following in the footsteps of current and former Portuguese NBA and WNBA players, our young athletes will have the opportunity to be a little closer to their dreams through learning the “NBA way.”

“We are thrilled to collaborate with Warrior Symbol to further boost youth basketball development in Europe,” said NBA Senior Director of Basketball Operations, Europe and Middle East, Henry Utku.  “This program will provide youth in Portugal’s two largest cities with an additional opportunity to learn the game and improve their skills under the guidance of dedicated coaches with a proven training curriculum.”

The NBA Basketball School curriculum, which is designed to develop players and provide parents, coaches and organizations with a better understanding of the process of improvement, has been developed by the NBA’s International Basketball Operations department in consultation with current and former NBA coaches, players and player development specialists.

The NBA Basketball School program complements the league’s existing basketball development efforts in Europe and the Middle East, including the Jr. NBA, the league’s global youth basketball program for boys and girls that currently features 111 leagues in Europe and the Middle East that will collectively reach nearly 50,000 youth in 28 countries this season; and Basketball Without Borders (BWB), the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program that has been held in Europe 19 times.

Since 2017, NBA Basketball Schools have been launched or announced in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Dominican Republic, Greece, India, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Lithuania, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates and Uruguay.

Fans in Portugal can follow the NBA on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, and download the official NBA App on iOS and Android for the latest news, updates, scores, stats, schedules, videos and more.

About Warrior Symbol
Warrior Symbol is a company that organizes national and international sporting events, with extensive experience in basketball, which aims to develop a culture of work, demand, commitment and fun, inspiring young athletes through basketball.  It owns the Campos MVP brand responsible for several basketball events since 2008, such as MVP Future Stars, MVP Fundamentals, MVP Shooting Camp, MVP Referee Camp, MVP Minibasket, Team MVP and MVP Skills.  In 2019, it started the MVP Academy, the only professional basketball academy in Portugal for male and female players ages 14 – 18, providing 360º work to each athlete in the areas of individual training, shooting, team practice, nutritional, mental, physical preparation and academics.  Composed of professionals from different areas of sport, Warrior Symbol aims to provide its clients with different ways to achieve their personal, academic and sporting goals through basketball.

About the NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a global sports and media organization with the mission to inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of basketball.  Built around five professional sports leagues:  the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League and Basketball Africa League, the NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming available in 214 countries and territories in more than 50 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 200 countries and territories on all seven continents.  NBA rosters at the start of the 2022-23 season featured 120 international players from 41 countries.  NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass.  The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with 2.1 billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms.  Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes.