Basketball Ireland has today revealed that Francisco
Elson will be the official NBA ambassador for the second annual Irish Jr. NBA
Festival of Basketball, which will take place next Tuesday, December 10th, at
the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght and is proudly supported by DeCare
Dental.
The event is the culmination of this year's Jr. NBA
Basketball Ireland league, with the finals featuring the top two teams from
each conference competing to be crowned the champions. Now in its second year, the league features
10 Irish clubs that partnered with local primary schools to create 30 teams,
each of which represented an NBA team and received corresponding NBA
team-branded uniforms for their games.
This year's ambassador, Elson, played on the Under
20 national team for the Netherlands before embarking on a college career in
the USA. In his senior season at the University of California, he helped the
team win the NIT Championship. After his successful college career, the Dutch
big man was drafted in the 2nd round of the 1999 NBA Draft by the Denver
Nuggets. Despite being drafted to the NBA, Elson began his professional career
back in Europe with Barcelona, where he won the Spanish title. In 2003, Elson
made the jump to the NBA and joined the Denver Nuggets. This began a nine-year
stint in the NBA that saw him represent the Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, San
Antonio Spurs, Seattle Supersonics, Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers. In
2007, Elson reached the top of the NBA, becoming an NBA Champion with the San Antonio
Spurs. In the 2007 NBA Finals, his Spurs team swept LeBron James and the
Cleveland Cavaliers. During his illustrious NBA career, Elson was teammates
with Tim Duncan, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant and Gordon Hayward.
With over 400 children coming to the National
Basketball Arena next Tuesday, the seven-foot centre is bound to be a big hit!
Jr. NBA Basketball Ireland League 2019
Belfast Phoenix (Antrim)
Moira Primary School – Indiana Pacers
St Anne’s Primary School – LA Clippers
St Teresa’s Primary School – Washington Wizards
Drogheda Wolves (Louth)
Gaelscoil an Bhradain Feasa – San Antonio Spurs
St Paul’s National School – LA Lakers
Tullyallen National School – Sacramento Kings
Kilrush Basketball Club (Clare)
St Senans Primary School – Portland Trail Blazers
Scoil Realt na Mara Kilkee – Charlotte Hornets
Gaelscoil Uí Choimín Kilrush – Minnesota
Timberwolves
Limerick Lions (Limerick)
CBS Primary School Sexton Street – OKC Thunder
Maria King Presentation Primary School – Phoenix
Suns
Malahide Basketball Club (Dublin)
Pope John Paul II National School – Miami Heat
St Oliver Plunketts National School – Orlando Magic
Maree (Galway)
Maree National School – Milwaukee Bucks
St. Oliver Plunketts National School Kilkerrin –
Philadelphia 76ers
Scoil Mhuire Oranmore – New York Knicks
Moycullen (Galway)
Scoil Bhaile Nua and Scoil Naomh Cholmain, Moycullen
– New Orleans Pelicans
Scoil Mhuire & Scoil Naomh Bride, Moycullen –
Brooklyn Nets
North Kildare (Kildare)
Maynooth Educate Together – Chicago Bulls
Scoil Mochua, Cellbridge – Atlanta Hawks
Portlaoise Panthers (Laois)
Holy Family School – Golden State Warriors
Scoil Bhride Portlaoise – Denver Nuggets
Skibbereen Eagles (Cork)
St Patrick’s National School Skibbereen – Memphis
Grizzlies
West Cork Rath, Union Hall, Castlehaven &
Drimolegue National Schools (combination) – Detroit Pistons
St Joseph’s National School Skibbereen – Utah Jazz
UCD Marian and Meteors (Dublin)
St Attractas, Ballinteer – Houston Rockets
Hollypark Boys National School and Scoil San Treasa
– Toronto Raptors
Scoil Naithí, Ballinteer – Dallas Mavericks
UL Huskies and Limerick Lakers (Limerick)
St. Brigid's National School, Singland – Cleveland
Cavaliers
Castleconnell NS, Castleconnell, Limerick – Boston
Celtics
