- As part of the Basketball "Copa del Rey", the final phase of the Minicopa Endesa is taking place in Málaga to celebrate its 20th anniversary during a period of significant growth. "Players" such as Ricky Rubio, Luka Doncic, Víctor Wembanyama and Unicaja aces such as Jonathan Barreiro or Alberto Díaz from Málaga took their first big steps in this competition where stars are born.
- Starting on Wednesday 14 February, the youth teams representing Unicaja Andalucía, Real Madrid, Joventut Badalona, Baxi Manresa, Valencia Basket, Barça, Bàsquet Girona and Casademont Zaragoza will compete with the hope of lifting the Minicopa Endesa trophy on the court in the Martín Carpena stadium, the same venue where seniors will play. Admission is free but all fans are encouraged to donate one kilogram of non-perishable food items.
- The social projects promoted by Liga Endesa de Corazón, Academia 675 and Básket en Movimiento will play a prominent role in the Minicopa Endesa with very special events.
Málaga is already celebrating this great basketball festival in grand style. The Minicopa Endesa will be taking place from today until Sunday 18th. This is a competition in which the youth categories of the major teams compete both to try and lift the winner's trophy but also to be immersed in the highest values of basketball: These include coexistence between teams, respect for the opponent, collective effort and vital learning about winning and losing.
Following a spectacular first phase in Tarragona, the Minicopa Endesa "the competition where stars are born" has now arrived in Málaga with a new image that has been specially created for the 20th anniversary. Players of the calibre and charisma of Rubio, Doncic and Wembanyama have participated in this tournament, as well as stars such as Alberto Díaz and Jonathan Barreiro who currently play for Unicaja.
All matches will be played at the José Luis Pérez Canca Pavilion. The grand final will be played on Sunday at 1pm in this great venue for the senior players, the legendary Martín Carpena Stadium.
The Minicopa Endesa has the highest values of basketball in its DNA and this year even more so due to the presence of two social projects created the Andalusian community of basketball enthusiasts. The "Básket en movimiento" initiative will take its Toyota electric van full of solidarity to the Fan Zone of the Minicopa Endesa with basketball challenges, games and a thousand game technique tricks to help everyone to learn to play and enjoy basketball.
Academia 675, one of the star projects of the Liga Endesa de Corazón social initiative, will give prominence to the girls and boys in its Superbasket Lover initiative, great young players from six years old and older with cognitive disabilities. The agenda of activities includes a performance on Saturday at 1pm in the Movistar Fan Zone in the Plaza de la Constitución, of DJ M4A, a collaborator of the project who puts his music on with his feet.
The legendary Unicaja player and driving force behind the project, Berni Rodríguez, will lead a training session on Sunday at 11.30am between young Superbasket Lover players and the captains of the Endesa Mini Cup teams. At 1pm K9 Málaga will hold a basketball training session for people with cognitive diversity based on canine-assisted therapy in the Movistar Fan Zone.
The ball boy/girl becomes the ball father/mother
And, of course, you should not miss the traditional ball boy, which this year comes with two special novelties. In the Copa del Rey matches, the ball boys and girls will be Superbasket Lover boys and girls in all matches. And, for the first time, the initiative comes to the Endesa Mini Cup with a very appropriate twist: This time it will be "ball fathers/mothers" who will be on court to share their enthusiasm and their dreams with the players competing.