Apply for OBA Nav Bhatia Community Athlete Award & Scholarships, presented by MilkUp

Funding from our DFO partner enabled OBA to create the OBA Nav Bhatia Community Athlete Award in recognition of the impact the Naismith Memorial Hall of Famer has had in representing the diversity and passion of the basketball community in this province.

The OBA Nav Bhatia Community Athlete Award will be presented to two male and two female student athletes who have participated in OBA programs and have committed to a Canadian post-secondary basketball program in Ontario. Selection will be made based on their commitment on the court, in the classroom and in their communities. Each winner will receive a bursary of $5,000 on behalf of Nav Bhatia from DFO.

Apply here for the OBA Nav Bhatia Community Athlete Award and scholarships!

Submissions for the OBA Nav Bhatia Community Athlete Award open on Aug. 18, 2021, and the applicant or nominator must complete the application form and submit it to Ontario Basketball by 5 p.m. on Sept. 6, 2021. Each application will be reviewed by a panel, including Nav, and recipients will be notified on Sept. 13.

“Basketball has changed my life. My love for this game has given me an opportunity to bring people together,” said Nav Bhatia. “Embracing diversity is our strength and thanks to OBA and DFO, we will be able to honour and support four courageous ballers who are committed not only on the court but off the court as well. Much like some of our great players, Vince Carter, Chris Bosh, Demar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, what you do in your community can inspire others for generations. This is what the essence of this award is.”

Judging will be made on five criteria: commitment on the court, achievement in the classroom, impact on their community, demonstration of sportsmanship and of experience with Ontario Basketball programs.

Criteria
(_/10) COMMITMENT ON THE COURT
(_/10) ACHIEVEMENT IN THE CLASSROOM
(_/10) IMPACT ON THEIR COMMUNITY
(_/10) DEMONSTRATION OF SPORTSMANSHIP
(_/10) EXPERIENCE WITH ONTARIO BASKETBALL PROGRAMS

The highest two overall scores for both male and female applicants shall be declared the winners and will be contacted individually before public announcement.

Each of the four winners will receive, in addition to the $5000 scholarship, a video profile filmed about their basketball journey, and a special presentation event to be held at Nav Bhatia’s refurbished community courts in Malton.