The NBA and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Basketball Management Center has partnered to launch The NBA Academy Xinjiang, an elite basketball training center in Urumqi in the Xinjiang Province of China. The training center houses about 120 male and 120 female student-athletes aged 14-18.

The NBA’s partnership with the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Basketball Management Center builds on the NBA’s existing basketball and youth development initiatives in China. In November 2015, NBA China, the Beijing Municipal Education Commission and the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports announced the launch of the first Jr. NBA Basketball League in China. In October 2014, the NBA and the Ministry of Education of China announced a comprehensive multiyear partnership to incorporate a fitness and basketball development curriculum in elementary, middle and high schools across China. In February 2014, NBA China and Yao Ming launched the first ever after-school basketball program in Beijing, providing basketball training and fitness programs for boys and girls at all skill levels. In November 2011, NBA China and Dongguan New Century launched the CBA Dongguan Basketball School for players ages 12-17.

“Xinjiang has a large basketball fan base, and our professional teams in the CBA and WCBA are among the top teams in China. Through the NBA’s advanced concepts and training systems, I believe that we will be able to further our youth basketball development and lift the game of basketball to a higher level in Xinjiang.”
-Nie Chun, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Basketball Management Center Director