‍TORONTO, Ont. (March 8, 2023) – Women in Basketball Month, presented by Penny Appeal, returns this month to recognize, celebrate and empower Canadian girls and women who have a #madlove for the game of basketball. 

Grow The Game: A Women in Basketball Month Event, presented by Penny Appeal, will bring together basketball leaders from the community and grassroots level to Canadian WNBA legends for a 3-part virtual panel discussing all things community, culture and professional hoops on March 30th. 

Registration for the virtual event is free to encourage and ensure everyone who is interested can join the discussion. Click the image below to register for Grow The Game: A Women in Basketball Month Event, presented by Penny Appeal.

Join us for a month-long celebration of the growth of the women’s game both on and off the court.

Grow The Game: A Women in Basketball Month Event, presented by Penny Appeal‍

March 30, 2023

7:00 p.m. ET - 10:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. PT - 7:00 p.m. PT)

Registration: Click here to register.

From Court to Community: The Game Changers

The growth of basketball starts at the grassroots, and who better to discuss the importance of growing the game, than those who grow it themselves? From Court to Community: The Game Changers, will bring together a diverse group of hometown heroes who are passionate and committed to growing the game in their communities. The conversation will shed light on the journey to create sustainable community basketball programs, and the role of basketball in promoting social inclusion. The panelists will share their personal experiences and success stories, as well as their insights on best practices for community engagement, fundraising and building partnerships with other organizations. The panel aims to inspire and educate attendees on the value of basketball and the positive impact it can have on girls and women in the community.

Megan Pinske (Night Hoops / Canada Basketball Foundation Board of Directors)

Fitriya Mohammed (Muslim Women's Summer Basketball League / Hijiabi Ballers)

Micaella Riche (Lay-Up Youth Basketball)

Joanna Weigers (CBOC, Alberta)

A New Era of Women’s Basketball: Perspectives from Beyond the Court

The discussion will centre around the ways in which basketball has impacted and been impacted by various cultural phenomena such as music, fashion, film, and social movements. A New Era of Women's Basketball: Perspectives from Beyond the Court, will invite influential entrepreneurs, creators, and leaders in the culture of basketball space to come together to discuss how basketball has been used to promote positive change and shape cultural identity. The discussion will reflect how a #madlove for basketball led to impactful careers, and what it means to look at basketball from a different perspective.

Tenneya Martin (Manager, Organizational Culture, Toronto Raptors)

Sarah Delangel (Photographer/Digital Creator)

Shelby Weaver (Founder of Mack House, Co-Founder of Makeway, Director, Basketball Operations & Culture, Toronto Raptors)

Miranda Ayim (Senior Women's National Team Alumni)

Savanna Hamilton (Sportsnet) - Host

Beyond Borders: Celebrating the WNBA in Canada

Join players, coaches, WNBA executives and fans to discuss the excitement and optimism around the WNBA's expansion into Canada, and the future of women's professional basketball as a whole. Conversations will include the discussion around investing in the women's game, highlighting the potential for growth and expansion of the WNBA beyond the USA, and the league’s efforts to increase the overall investment in women's basketball. The panel will reflect the challenges and journey of bringing the first WNBA game to Canada this coming May, and discuss the challenges and opportunities that come with the possibility of establishing a new team in Canada, and the potential the expansion could bring for the sport of basketball. 

Bridget Carleton (Minnesota Lynx / Senior Women's National Team)

Leah McNabb (Managing Director, NBA Canada)

Noelle Quinn (Head Coach, Seattle Storm / Lead Assistant Coach, Senior Women's National Team)

Nakissa Koomalsingh (Founder, Hoop Queens)

Savanna Hamilton (Sportsnet) - Host

#madlove Workshops

As part of upcoming national team programming throughout the month of March, Canada Basketball will host #madlove workshops with invited attendees at an upcoming girls Jr. Academy session, as well as at the women’s high performance assessment camp.  Athletes will have the chance to hear first-hand from Canada Basketball athletes and alumni about their basketball journey and participate in off-court empowerment and leadership exercises that will help to grow the #madlove they have for the game. 

Additionally, Canada Basketball will be supporting the Muslim Women’s Summer Basketball League (MWSBL), a Toronto-based not-for-profit basketball league dedicated to uniting Muslim women, and Hijabi Ballers, a program which seeks to recognize and celebrate the athleticism of Muslim girls and women with their first-ever basketball tournament on March 12.  Canada Basketball, in collaboration with Mack House, will be hosting a shoe design #madlove Workshop for the attendees.

Content Creator Spotlight

Throughout the month of March, Canada Basketball will shine a spotlight on women making an impact on the game through their work as content creators.  Follow Canada Basketball on social media to learn more about Canada women who are crashing the glass (ceiling) by bringing their love for the game to the masses.

More stories on influential Canadian basketball leaders

From players and coaches to officials and community ambassadors, Canada Basketball will tell the stories of influential Canadian women and the basketball legacy they are leaving for others.  These stories will be told through a series of written features, video segments, empowering quotes and Q & A and will be available on basketball.ca and across Canada Basketball’s social channels.

Canada Basketball Foundation Night at Raptors 905 (March 6)

The Canada Basketball Foundation has partnered with Raptors 905 to host “Canada Basketball Foundation Night” on March 6th at 7:30 p.m. ET at Paramount Fine Foods Centre, when the 905 tip-off against the G League Ignite.

As part of the game’s programming, Canada Basketball will recognize and celebrate five influential Canadian women in-game, while community girls basketball groups will be present and participating in a game at half-time.

How to Get Involved 

- Click here to register to attend the virtual Growing the Game: A Women in Basketball Event, presented by Penny Appeal.

- Check out Canada Basketball social channels and basketball.ca during March to hear from other girls and women about their basketball journeys as players, officials, coaches and executives and community leaders. 

- Share Canada Basketball and your own posts and stories throughout the month using the hashtag #madlove and by tagging Canada Basketball social accounts on your posts, images and videos.

- Encourage a non-profit girls or women’s focused community basketball group that is helping to grow the game for youth through officiating and coaching, sport leadership or basketball skill development programming to apply for support through the UNIFIED Assist Program. The deadline to apply is March 19th, 2023.