No relegation, promotion for upcoming NBL season

Urban Knights will look to defend their National Basketball League (NBL) title when Jamaica’s to- flight competition tips off on January 18, 2025.

President of the Jamaica Basketball Association JABA), Paulton Gordon, is looking forward to the second staging of the competition since the COVID-19 pandemic and is hoping for another exciting season.

“Ten teams will contest the next edition of the NBL. We have not reintroduced the relegation and promotion system as yet since this is the second full season since the COVID-19 outbreak. We are quite excited and looking forward to seeing improvement among the clubs expected to be vying for the top spot,” he stated.

Last season saw a thrilling return of basketball as the pair of Upper Room Eagles and Urban Knights were engaged in a ding-dong battle for the title, with the latter coming out with a 2-1 victory and their star player Nicholai Brown getting the MVP crown. Gordon believes more corporate support will boost the awareness of the league and lift its popularity.

“The clubs are getting more organised, and as such, we expect to see improved quality. JABA would certainly want to see more corporate support, which will then allow for greater publicity and awareness around the league,” he added.

As part of the new plans to develop basketball locally, Gordon revealed that participating teams are set to partner with schools.

“Essentially, we are hoping to expand the social outreach side. We are asking the clubs to adopt a primary school and introduce the game at that level. The greater the pool at that level, the more elite talent will emerge,” Gordon said.

While there will be no relegation, Gordon hinted that there could be an expansion of teams for the upcoming season.

“Next year, we are contemplating adding two teams to get the numbers back to 12. The details of this are still being worked out, and we will make the necessary announcements at the appropriate time,” Gordon revealed.

orane.buchanan@gleanerjm.com