When is World Basketball Day? NBA’s latest initiative explored 

World Basketball Day is the latest initiative being supported by the NBA. The specific day has been chosen as it is when Dr. James Naismith first introduced the game back in 1891.

World Basketball Day is a celebration established by the United Nations that the NBA is joining with others in the global basketball community to support and promote. This day will be honored on December 21st every year moving forward. The NBA and other organizations have a wide array of festivities planned all over the globe.

One of the main events will be held in the Philippines. A panel of guests will be hosting a roundtable discussion to talk about the significance of basketball and the impact it has all around the world. Among the names on the panel is NBA Hall of Famer Julius Erving.

In the United States, diplomats from over 30 different countries will be traveling to New York City to partake in a friendly pick-up game as part of the fesitivities. There is also going to be a junior clinic put together in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City for for kids ages six to 14.

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NBA Commissioner Adam Silver reacts to being part of World Basketball Day

As organizations around the globe prepare for the first ever World Basketball Day, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver shared his thoughts on the event. He is excited to be part of such a big event and cited how basketball has united people around the world.

“The NBA family is thrilled to join the global basketball community in celebrating the first World Basketball Day,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “More than 130 years after Dr. James Naismith invented the game at the Springfield YMCA, World Basketball Day is a reminder of basketball’s ability to transcend borders, cultures and languages and unite people around the world.”

Looking at the current landscape of the league, it's hard to deny the worldwide reach basetball has. Over the past decade, more than a handful of the game's top players come from somewhere outside of the United States.

Foreign-born players have completely taken over professional basketball. The last time an American born player won MVP in the NBA was James Harden in 2018. Since then, it has been players such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid.

These are not the only dominant international players in the league. Two others who deserve a mention are MVP candidates Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

As basketball continues to expand its borders, the community comes together to honor the man who started it all.