
NBA Rising Stars Invitational to happen in Singapore, Sabonis of Sacramento Kings and former WNBA player Jackson to headline
Photo: Freepik
The NBA recently announced that Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings and the former WNBA player Lauren Jackson will headline the first NBA Rising Stars Invitational that will take place in Singapore from June 25 to 29. This will highlight high school teams from 11 Asia-Pacific countries.
Alongside Sabonis and Jackson, other well-known athletes will also take part in this event, including Phoenix Suns' Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro from the United States, as well as B.LEAGUE player Keisei Tominaga from Japan. Moreover, NBA Legend Yao Ming from China will have his special appearances, like attending the opening ceremony on June 25.
These popular athletes will interact with the young participants on-and-off the court, and the event will have live entertainment such as performances by the Los Angeles Lakers dance team, the Laker Girls, and Miami Heat mascot Burnie. What is the NBA Rising Stars Invitational?
Organised by the NBA Singapore, the NBA Rising Stars Invitational is a part of the long-term partnership between SportSG and the Singapore Tourism Board. It is supported by the Official Community Partner, the Karim Family Foundation (KFF).
The tournament will start with group matches before moving to the semi-finals and finals. The players will also partake in training sessions, community work, and cultural exchanges. At the same time, the best players may get a chance to join future NBA camps and programs.
The high school teams were selected with the help of local basketball federations and leagues. In the case of the Philippines, a local qualifying event was organised by the NBA's event partner to determine the country's representatives.
Here is the list of teams that are competing in the NBA Rising Stars Invitational. Take note that these teams are subject to change.
HIGH-SCHOOLS Country Boys Team Girls Team Australia Berwick College Flinders Christian Community College China Tsinghua University High School Tsinghua University High School India Nehru World School Delhi Public School Rajnandgaon Indonesia Jubilee School SMAK Penabur Cirebon Japan Fukuoka University Ohori Senior High School Kyoto Seika Gakuen Senior High School Malaysia Hin Hua High School Hin Hua High School Mongolia Orkhon Aimag 1st High School Oyunii Undraa High School Philippines National University Nazareth School National University Nazareth School Singapore Anglo-Chinese Junior College Hwa Chong Institution Singapore United World College South East Asia Dover N/A South Korea Yongsan High School Onyang Girls High School Thailand Assumption College Thonburi Watnoinoppakhun School
Fans can visit nba.com/risingstarsinvitational to learn more or follow the event on Instagram for updates.
Free tickets are available at nba.com/RSI-Ticketing.
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Perak's displaced players and staff are now left to chart their next steps. Shivan is keeping his footballing dream alive and weighing offers from other clubs. Football is a livelihood for many players, and he hopes the fraternity will come together to tackle the issues in Malaysian football. Shivan, who is taking up a part-time degree course in business administration, also has this piece of advice for youths hoping to carve out a career in the sport: Pursue your footballing ambitions, but not at the expense of your studies.