Bahraini teenager Mahdi Habib has been named to the All-Showcase Team at the NBA Academy Select Showcase in Abu Dhabi, a recognition that puts the captain of the kingdom’s youth national basketball side among the standout performers at one of the region’s most closely watched talent camps.
Habib and fellow Bahraini prospect Jok James have now wrapped up their participation in the four-day event, which ran from September 23 to 26 at New York University Abu Dhabi. The honour was confirmed through the NBA Academy’s official account at the close of the camp.
The showcase drew 32 players under 18 from 14 countries spanning the Gulf, South Asia and Africa. Participants followed a full schedule that combined individual skills work, fitness training and combine-style testing with life-skills workshops.
On the court, they were assessed through evaluation games, team competitions and a three-point shooting contest.
Bahrain’s delegation travelled with Leon Subotic, an assistant coach with the senior national team. A third Bahraini, Mujtaba Mahmood, had also earned a place in the programme but pulled out because of a recent injury.
Instruction and scouting were led by coaches with NBA backgrounds, including Damian Cotter, James Wade, Henry Domercant and Dan Craig, working alongside league staff.
Two former NBA players also attended: Ron Harper, who won five championships, and Jason Richardson, a two-time winner of the Slam Dunk Contest.
The result adds to a growing pattern of Bahraini players appearing in NBA-linked development pathways. Earlier, Hassan Abdulqader was chosen for the Basketball Without Borders Next Up camp in Istanbul, a programme the NBA runs jointly with FIBA, basketball’s global governing body.
For a country better known for football and handball, the recognition offers encouraging evidence that its emerging basketball generation is beginning to register on international scouting radars.
