MAPUTO, Mozambique, April 30 – ExxonMobil and NBA Africa on Saturday launched a new Jr. NBA league in Maputo, Mozambique that will be operated by the Clarisse Machanguana Foundation (CMF), an organization founded by former WNBA player and Mozambique basketball legend Clarisse Machanguana that empowers Mozambiquan youth through sport, education and health.
The new Jr. NBA league, which features 30 boys’ and girls’ teams for youth ages 16 and under, tipped off its inaugural season on Saturday at Escola Portuguesa de Moçambique in Maputo, with Machanguana and 2009 NBA champion Trevor Ariza in attendance.
The league, which will reach more than 8,000 students this year, will play regular-season games through August and culminate with the playoffs and finals in September.
The league will also include all-girls basketball clinics as part of the NBA’s Her Time to Play program, which provides opportunities for girls and women to play basketball and pursue careers in coaching and athletic leadership, as well as educational STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) sessions for boys and girls.
“ExxonMobil is committed to the advancement and development of kids through STEM education,” said General Manager for ExxonMobil Mozambique, Arne Gibbs. “This program will bring together passion for sports while promoting health and the importance of STEM education to empower our youth.”
“Building on the success of our community programs, we are delighted to work with NBA Africa and ExxonMobil for the advancement of youth through basketball, life skills and STEM,” said Machanguana. “This program is an opportunity to create inspiring champions, to become an agent of change, empowered to make healthy and informed decisions.”
“We are proud to collaborate with ExxonMobil and the Clarisse Machanguana Foundation to teach basketball and life skills that will help youth in Mozambique develop as players and leaders,” said NBA Africa Head of Basketball Operations Franck Traore. “This new Jr. NBA league will build on Mozambique’s proud basketball tradition and make the game more accessible to youth in the local community.”
-About ExxonMobil-
ExxonMobil, one of the largest publicly traded international oil and gas companies, uses technology and innovation to help meet the world’s growing energy needs. The ExxonMobil Foundation is the primary philanthropic arm of the Exxon Mobil Corporation in the United States. The Foundation engages in a range of philanthropic initiatives in areas where the company operates around the world, with a strategic focus on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education.
In Mozambique, ExxonMobil holds a 25 percent indirect interest in Area 4 and will lead the construction and operation of future natural gas liquefaction facilities. Please visit: www.exxonmobil.co.mz or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ExxonMobilMocambique.
-About NBA Africa-
NBA Africa is an affiliate of the National Basketball Association (NBA), a global sports and media organization with the mission to inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of basketball. NBA Africa conducts the league’s business in Africa, including the Basketball Africa League (BAL), and has opened subsidiary offices in Cairo, Egypt; Dakar, Senegal; Lagos, Nigeria; and Nairobi, Kenya. The NBA has a long history in Africa and opened its African headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2010. The league’s efforts on the continent have focused on increasing access to basketball and the NBA through youth and elite development, social responsibility, media distribution, corporate partnerships, NBA Africa Games, NBA Stores, the BAL, and more.
NBA games and programming are available in all 54 African countries, and the NBA has hosted three sold-out exhibition games on the continent since 2015. The BAL, a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and NBA Africa, is a professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa that tipped off its fourth season in March 2024. Fans can follow @NBA_Africa and @theBAL on Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.
-About Clarisse Machanguana Foundation-
Clarisse Machanguana Foundation (CMF) is a Mozambican organization with U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit with charitable status. It seeks to create and inspire a generation of confident and capable women leaders through education, sports and community.
CMF works throughout Mozambique to create educational programs grounded in sports for development and leadership to advance youth by offering them a safe space to play and learn, develop life skills, and engage in healthy activities. Through education and sports, youth attain skills that enable them to make choices that benefit them, their families and their communities.
