ExxonMobil and NBA Africa Launch Jr. NBA League in Mozambique

Maputo, Mozambique – ExxonMobil and NBA Africa announced the launch of a new Jr. NBA League in Maputo 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 Mozambican youth through sports, education, and health. 

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  • Former WNBA Player Clarisse Machanguana and 2009 NBA Champion Trevor Ariza Attends Launch Event
  • Initiative to benefit more than 8,000 students

The new Jr. NBA League, which features 30 boys’ and girls’ teams ages 16 and under, tipped off its inaugural season 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 include 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 to 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.”

 “We are thrilled to collaborate with ExxonMobil and Clarisse Machanguana to deliver positive basketball experiences to young boys and girls that will help them develop as players and leaders,” said NBA Africa CEO Clare Akamanzi.  “This new Jr. NBA league will build upon Mozambique’s great basketball tradition and make the game more accessible to youth across the local community.”     

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About ExxonMobil Foundation

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 participating interest in the Rovuma Basin Area 4 Project 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