NABI to be the first all-Native youth event featured on a major sports network

PHOENIX, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Native American Basketball Invitational (NABI) is proud to announce they have teamed up with Executive Producer Robert Judkins, LTN Global, and ESPN to stream their semi-final and championship games on ESPN+. The games will be available on Friday, July 22, and Saturday, July 23. It marks the first time an all-Native youth sporting event will be featured on a major sports network platform.

"For 19 years, NABI continues to be the largest and most prestigious all-Native American basketball tournament in North America," said GinaMarie Scarpa, President of NABI. "We are excited to showcase our athletes in a way that has never been done before, on a global stage. It will be a significant history-making moment for our athletes and our entire Native community."

Also known as Rezball, basketball is a popular generational sport among Tribal communities. The sport unites thousands of Native/Indigenous youth, inspiring them to continue developing and playing the sport, and use their talents and skills to pursue higher educational opportunities.

NABI week officially tips-off on Sunday, July 17, 2022, with more than 470 basketball games played in 11 Phoenix-area gyms, featuring 136 teams comprised of male and female athletes, ages 14-19, representing tribal communities from throughout North America.

NABI week concludes with the championship games taking place Saturday, July 23, at the newly renovated Footprint Center, home of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury. Tickets are on sale at www.ticketmaster.com. 

For more information, game schedules, and gym locations, please visit our official website www.NABINation.com.

About ESPN+ 

ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN's linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 22.3 million subscribers. 

Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $6.99 a month (or $69.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for $13.99/month (Hulu w/ads) or $19.99/month (Hulu w/o ads). Subscribers to Hulu + Live TV also receive ESPN+ at no additional cost. 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/espn-to-stream-native-american-youth-basketball-event-301576768.html

SOURCE Native American Basketball Invitational (NABI) Foundation