DUBAI: Basketball players in the UAE and the wider Middle East will soon benefit from a rare opportunity as Ball Above All Sports, a premier youth basketball platform in the UAE, partners with North Pole Hoops to launch the inaugural BAA NPH Showcase League in Dubai for the autumn 2025-2026 season.
BAA, whose leagues are approved by the Dubai Sports Council and the UAE Basketball Federation, provides leagues, tournaments, and coaching for players of all ages and backgrounds, while NPH is Canada’s leading scouting and exposure organisation with a track record of guiding athletes from grassroots through North American prep schools, colleges, universities, and ultimately to the NBA.
The Showcase League aligns with the UAE’s National Sports Strategy 2031, which focuses on nurturing elite talent, strengthening the country’s global presence, and preparing Olympic basketball athletes for 2030 while further developing the UAE national team.
Tariq Sbiet, CEO and founder of North Pole Hoops, said: “We are thrilled to announce Dubai as the first stop for NPH in the Middle East. This marks a historic milestone as we open a direct pathway for prospects in the region to be seen, ranked, and recruited at a level that has never existed before.
“Through NPH Scouting we will identify, evaluate, and rank talent from the BAA NPH Showcase League, and with International Prep Placement we will ensure these prospects are matched with the right North American programmes to continue their journey to the next level.”
Kicking off on Sept. 13, 2025, the league is a milestone for basketball in the region, introducing a structured pathway for local prospects to connect directly with North American programs.
The BAA NPH Showcase League in Dubai is now part of North Pole Hoops’ global ecosystem, which includes the National Preparatory Association and the NPH Showcase League in Canada. Powered by NPH Scouting and the International Prep Placement programme, the league will offer athletes professional evaluations, verified rankings, and tailored placement support, creating pathways to prep schools and post-secondary basketball opportunities in North America.
The league forms the first stage of NPH’s three-tier global development system. Level one begins in the Middle East with the BAA NPH Showcase League in Dubai, level two continues with the NPA and NPH Showcase League in Canada, and level three culminates in opportunities at top post-secondary programmes in North America, including the National Collegiate Athletic Association, U Sports (Canadian university system), JUCO (United States junior colleges), the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association, and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, with proven pathways to professional leagues such as the NBA.
NPH’s model has paved the way for 14 of the 25 Canadian players to have reached the NBA, including current NBA champion and MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder and 2023 NBA champion Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets. As a proven pathway to the league, NPH has also facilitated the recruitment of countless Canadian athletes into prestigious prep schools and college basketball programmes in the United States and Canada.
Belal Abiad, founder of Ball Above All, added: “For the first time, Middle Eastern athletes will have access to a real stage supported by NPH’s proven scouting platform. We are not simply running a league, we are building a bridge between continents and creating opportunities that were once out of reach.”
This launch builds on the commitment of BAA and NPH to introduce North American-style player development to the UAE while creating international exposure for emerging Middle Eastern talent.
