Azrul reveals reasons for sending DBL All-Star 2026 to the US in July

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Founder of DBL Indonesia Azrul Ananda has revealed the reason for sending the DBL Indonesia All-Star 2026 squad to the United States in July, stating that the players have an opportunity to perform and be observed by university basketball team coaches. He explained that July is the right time for the departing student athletes to have the chance to participate in the National Summer Classic in Chicago, which is attended by many college talent scouts. “What matters is not the match results or the tournament, but that these kids are seen, because in the US for that age group, winning or losing is not important,” Azrul said during the send-off event for 24 student athletes, consisting of 12 boys and 12 girls, at the DBL Academy in East Jakarta on Tuesday. However, this period makes finding sparring partners difficult because the school competition season is underway, meaning school teams are not allowed to play against other teams. Therefore, DBL moved the agenda to the middle of the year during the summer. From June to August, school team activities do stop, but various clubs remain active in many tournaments, particularly in Chicago, which is one of the hubs for youth basketball competitions. He said participation in the Chicago tournament is expected to pave the way for players to gain opportunities to continue their education through basketball scholarships in the United States. Several DBL alumni have successfully studied there, while others have received scholarship offers but have not yet been able to depart. The Kopi Good Day DBL Indonesia All-Star 2026 elite squad consists of 24 of the best student players, 12 boys and 12 girls. They were selected from hundreds of DBL Camp 2026 participants through the Top 24 and wildcard routes. Before departing for the United States, all players will undergo a training camp at the DBL Academy in Jakarta from 19 to 22 June. During the training, they will undergo a physical programme using VALD Performance technology and play scrimmage games against university teams and the DKI Jakarta regional training squad.