Royal Bafokeng Jr. NBA Finals to tip off on Saturday
The eagerly awaited 2024 Royal Bafokeng Jr. NBA Finals, featuring primary and secondary schools’ boys’ and girls’ teams, takes place on Saturday, 21 September, at the Royal Marang Hotel in Phokeng, North West.
A large audience is expected and an exhilarating dunk show has been lined up to thrill them. That will be complemented by music and dance performances, including from South African rapper and songwriter Maglera Doe Boy, and Amapiano artist Ch’cco.
The Royal Bafokeng Jr. NBA programme, which launched in 2011, has grown to 118 teams from 45 schools across all five regions of the Royal Bafokeng Nation, with the participation of more than 30 000 youth over the past 14 years. Over 100 000 have been impacted over that time through basketball development and youth engagement initiatives.
The 2024 programme includes a youth basketball league for boys and girls in primary and secondary schools, elite development camps, coaching clinics, and basketball court refurbishments.
Last year’s Royal Bafokeng Junior NBA Finals began with road shows and dunk performances at various Royal Bafokeng schools. A Royal Bafokeng Sports’ Future Stars Camp was hosted and a Her Time to Play clinic was held at Phokeng’s Civic Centre. Top players, coaches, educators and alumni were honoured at the annual Royal Bafokeng Jr. NBA Sports Awards and Gala Dinner.
The finals brought together 12 teams from nine schools to contest six championship matches.
The defending champions on Saturday will be 
Lebone Primary School’s u14 girls’ team, Bonwakgogo Primary School’s u14 team, HF Tlou Secondary School’s u16 girls’ team, Tshuku Secondary School’s u16 boys’ team, Kitsong School’s u18 girls’ team, and Lebone II College’s u18 boys’ team.
One of the highlights of the 2023 finals was an appearance by former Seattle Supersonics and Orlando Magic centre, Olumide Oyedeji, who helped Nigeria win Afrobasket 2015.
A dunk team from the USA got the pulses racing and musical performances included South African artists, Focalistic, and Robot Boii.
Since the programme was introduced in 2011, more than 120 players and 15 coaches from the Bafokeng community have represented the North West province in national tournaments.
Six girls and two boys have gone on to represent South Africa in international tournaments at youth and senior levels, while two girls and two coaches participated in the Junior NBA Global Championships in Orlando, Florida, in 2018 and 2019.
Earlier this month, Reatlegile Taukobong became the latest player from the Royal Bafokeng nation to represent South Africa when she ran out in the U18 FIBA AfroBasket Tournament in Pretoria. She was also an invited participant to the 19th edition of the Basketball Without Borders Camp in August at the American International School, Johannesburg.
More than 100 former participants in the Royal Bafokeng Junior NBA programme have gone on to study at universities and colleges in South Africa, while another former participant received a full scholarship to a high school in the United States, and one other was awarded a university scholarship.
The programme’s former head coach Moratiemang Junior Mmoloke joined the Cleveland Cavaliers coaching team at the 2023 NBA 2K24 Summer League in Las Vegas, Nevada, last July, as one of 28 basketball coaches from 17 African countries who were included on various NBA teams’ coaching staffs as part of the Africa Coaches Program.”
This year, Brian Ditsheko served on the Houston Rockets’ staff during the NBA Summer League in July.
FIXTURES
Saturday, 21 September
Royal Bafokeng Jr. NBA Finals
U14 Finals
- 08:00 – Luka PS vs Mfidikwe PS (Girls)
- 09:00 – Bonwakgogo PS vs Lebone II College (Boys)
U16 Finals
- 10:00 – Molotlegi SS vs Tshukudu SS (Girls)
- 11:10 – Matale SS vs Thethe SS (Boys)
U18 Finals
- 12:30 – Tlou SS vs. Kitsong School (Girls)
- 13:45 – Mmanape SS vs. Matale SS (Boys)
