Heinrich-Hertz-Schule Clinches Third Consecutive Jr. NBA Hamburg League Title in Thrilling Final Event

In an exciting final in 2024, the Heinrich-Hertz-Schule secured the title of the Jr. NBA Hamburg League for the third time. A varied supporting program rounded off the basketball spectacle in the Inselpark Arena.

State Councilor Christoph Holstein, Pia Wilke (Managing Director of Hamburg Sports Youth) and Jan Fischer (Managing Director of Veolia Towers Hamburg) opened the big final day of the Jr. NBA Hamburg League 2024 with a symbolic tip-off. Afterwards, around 300 children from the 27 participating Hamburg schools took to the court. And everyone was extremely motivated, because regardless of the results of the regular season, all 28 teams still had the chance to secure the coveted championship rings at the start of the final day.

The orange leather flew across three cross fields for an entire day. The games were hard to beat in terms of excitement. During the lunch break, the stars of tomorrow were surprised by world champion Justus Hollatz and Towers newcomer Jared Grey. The two professionals willingly answered numerous questions from the kids and took a souvenir photo with each team.

After the group phase, the 16 remaining teams continued in the knockout round. The four teams from the Heinrich-Hertz School, the Gymnasium Klosterschule, the Stadtteilschule Bergedorf and the Rudolf-Steiner School that were still undefeated in the preliminary round lived up to their status as favorites and stayed in the tournament for a long time. In the final, the Detroit Pistons (Heinrich-Hertz School) prevailed against the Sacramento Kings (Gymnasium Klosterschule) and thus secured the championship for the third time in a row.

Photos: Thorsten Schmieder

At the end of an exciting final day, all teams celebrated once again with the newly crowned champions of the Heinrich Hertz School, who raised their championship rings to loud cheers. Finally, Stefan Raid, Vice President of Youth and Schools of the German Basketball Association, selected the male and female MVPs, who had impressed both in terms of their sporting ability and their particular fairness.

Daniel Henle, Game Operations Manager of the Jr. NBA Hamburg League: “It was very nice to see all the teams in the arena at the climax of the season. I watched a lot of games throughout the school year and there were a lot of teams that I thought were capable of winning the title. Congratulations to the Heinrich Hertz School, who deserved to be crowned champions again. In my eyes, all the other teams can also see themselves as winners – because it was a huge basketball festival.”

Stefan Raid, Vice President Youth and Schools German Basketball Association: “The Jr. NBA Hamburg League is a great example of how you can get children excited about basketball at schools. The joy in the eyes of the girls and boys and the great fun that everyone has is priceless. I would like to thank the NBA, Active City Hamburg, Veolia Towers and the Hamburg Basketball Association for their great support and for their great commitment to school basketball!”

Neal Meyer, NBA Vice President of Basketball Operations, Europe and Middle East: “Congratulations to all of the talented young players who participated in the Jr. NBA Hamburg League this year. Not only did they improve their basketball skills throughout the program, but each player also gained life lessons and experiences that will help them become even stronger players and leaders. We look forward to being back in the 2025 season!”

The Jr. NBA, the NBA’s global youth basketball program for boys and girls, teaches the fundamental skills and core values ​​of the game – teamwork, respect, determination and community – at the grassroots level to expand and enhance the youth basketball experience for players, coaches and parents. During the 2023-24 season, the Jr. NBA will have reached a total of more than 50,000 youth in 31 countries across Europe and the Middle East.

2024-06-28 16:27:43
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