FLYING high is the short answer!
The growth of Jersey Basketball has been exceptional over the past 12 months. We now have over 500 members in the JBBA with no sign of slowing down.
2026 has been a historic year for us as our basketball development was put under the spotlight for all to see.
The inter insular results saw:
- Our men’s team win for the first time in 15 years.
- Our women’s team win for the first time in 30 years.
- The junior teams dominate with a big winning margin.
It’s a super-exciting time to be involved with the JBBA, and basketball in general.
We’ve seen basketball heat up around the world which is sparked interest in the game we love. In the most recent Olympics, young NBA star Victor Wembanyama represented France and almost lead his team to victory in the final over a stacked USA team.
This was a close battle and it showed that the United States are potentially beatable, especially with young superstars coming into basketball from Europe.
Whilst the US has always been considered the global basketball giant, the best league in the world, the NBA, hasn’t seen an American MVP since the 2017–2018 season, with the latest MVP’s being from the likes of Canada, Serbia, Greece and more.
With the game advancing beyond America, June 2026 saw a player selected from the UK to join the NBA draft, who was later picked by the Dallas Mavericks.
Jersey has seen some of our promising youngsters accept university positions in the US which will advance their game hugely – including young female star Vanessa Szajkowska, who has been awarded a basketball scholarship to SPIRE Academy in Cleveland, Ohio.
Most recently, the summer has seen some huge transfer news which we all love about sports.
Lebron James moves from the Lakers to Philadelphia, Giannis Antetokounmpo joins Miami from Milwaukee and Jaylen Brown also heads to Philadelphia, making them championship favourites this year.
Jersey’s top division has also seen some activity with players trading teams, this looks like it’s going to be one of the most competitive seasons yet.
Our domestic league season is scheduled to kick off in September across the board.
We also have junior age groups now signed up to play in a league in Essex which will be four trips a year over weekends, playing multiple games a day in some cases – the first of those trips scheduled for October.
We’re ready for a bigger and better year ahead with more exciting plans for the JBBA with an impending Island Games year upon us in 2027.
Keep an eye on our website and social media pages for more info, search for JBBA.
Basketball is on the rise and we’re riding the wave too!
