Co-chairman and President of REAL Entertainment and Culture Inc. announcing the REAL North Classic on Tuesday. Photo Courtesy of Macklen Linke/CKRW.
Whitehorse, YT – The first professional basketball game ever played in Canada’s territories is coming to Whitehorse this summer.
The Canadian Elite Basketball League announced Tuesday that the Calgary Surge and Saskatoon Mamba will face off at Takhini Arena on July 3 as part of the inaugural REAL North Classic. Co-Chairman and President of REAL Entertainment and Culture Jason Riberio calls the event historic.
“That is more than a milestone,” said Riberio in his remarks. “It is a statement about where Canadian sport belongs, who it should reach, and what it can mean when we choose to bring opportunity to places that have too often been overlooked.”
The four-day event will run over the Canada Day weekend and include a 3-on-3 tournament, coaching clinic and a youth basketball camp. Riberio says there is already a commitment to bringing the event back to Whitehorse in 2027 and 2028.
“When young people can see the game, feel the energy, meet these players, and imagine themselves in these spaces, it changes what they believe is possible,” said Riberio. “That is the real legacy we want to help build here.”
