Guidelines to Create a Healthy and Positive Youth Basketball Experience

11 July 2022

Today’s youth sport programs are often filled with a heavy focus on competitive success—without a clear developmental pathway. That’s why the NBA and USA Basketball have teamed up to create a youth basketball environment that prioritizes the health and well-being of young athletes.

Specifically, they’ve developed a set of guidelines that coaches, parents, and league organizers can follow when implementing and participating in youth basketball programming. In this series, you’ll find:

  • Participation guidelines to avoid over-scheduling, burnout, and overuse injuries.
  • Research and recommendations around sport specialization.
  • Player segmentation model with appropriate age groupings.
  • Rules and standards for each age division.

See the guidelines*

*By clicking the link, you’ll be redirected to youthguidelines.nba.com. This site has its own Privacy Policy and Terms of Use that you agree to when you visit the site.

Suggested Articles