When the NBA Champion Boston Celtics visited Abu Dhabi in early October to play a pair of pre-season games as part of the league’s NBA in Abu Dhabi initiative, students from NECC’s Global Consulting program were invited to take part in the festivities.
At the invitation of ADQ, the sponsor of the NBA in Abu Dhabi event, a mix of NECC’s consulting students and students in the Abu Dhabi community who have taken part in NECC’s Adapted Basketball program participated in a Jr. NBA Fit Clinic. The hour-long clinic for children of determination took place in the NBA District (the fan zone set up for the preseason kickoff), where they spent time practicing basketball drills and exercises with Jr. NBA coaches. After the session, the athletes and their families had free access to the NBA District’s festivities, which included activities, games, prizes, and opportunities to meet NBA legends.
“This was a great opportunity for our students and basketball community to gain invaluable experience with excellent, enthusiastic coaches,” shared Tiffany Howley, community outreach and consulting specialist for NECC’s Global Consulting arm. “It’s a wonderful example of inclusion within community activities for the emirate of Abu Dhabi. We want our students to be able to participate fully in every aspect of community life, which includes sporting activities.”
According to Howley, the Jr. NBA runs the Fit Clinic sessions on behalf of ADQ, which are typically for the children of ADQ employees or their companies. Because the Fit Clinic went so well in October, ADQ invited the NECC Clinic to their own 10-week session, which is wrapping up in January.
The Jr. NBA Fit Clinic amplifies NECC’s mission to promote inclusive activities to the community. In November 2023, NECC’s Global Consulting launched an Adapted Basketball League in Abu Dhabi, where every Sunday, students from NECC’s consulting program and individuals of determination from the wider community join high school volunteers from the Abu Dhabi Knights Basketball Academy and the American Community School (ACS) for a unified basketball experience.
“We started the league because we wanted to provide our students with an inclusive extracurricular activity where they could learn some new skills and develop new friendships,” shared Howley. “We also wanted to be able to provide an opportunity for children of determination in the wider community as well as a service-learning opportunity for the ACS students.”
The league runs in six-week blocks with a cap of 20-30 athletes to preserve the integrity of the experience.
Karima, the mother of one of the Adapted Basketball League athletes, shared that her son, Gabriel, has greatly benefited from the program. “We are deeply grateful to NECC and the committed volunteers for creating such a supportive and fun environment. It’s been wonderful to see Gabriel’s confidence grow, and friendships develop through these sessions. We’re looking forward to more joyful times on the court,” she said.
Howley shared that the Adapted Basketball sessions will resume in February after the Jr. NBA Fit Clinic concludes. However, she added that there is a possibility of participating in another 10-week session of the Jr. NBA Fit Clinic in the near future.
This was the third year that the NBA has played a pair of exhibition games in Abu Dhabi. In conjunction with the annual event, the NBA, in partnership with Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT), launched its third season of the Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League, which has reached more than 10,000 school-aged youth in Abu Dhabi since 2022.