Recently, basketball has become much more prevalent in Canada – a nation typically associated with ice hockey by outsiders. However, since the Toronto Raptors won their first NBA championship in 2019, the sport has surged in popularity across Canada, with many young people aspiring to play the sport professionally.
Veteran global basketball instructor Jamil Abiad couldn’t be more pleased with this news, and he’s more than ready to help train and mentor the next generation of Canadian players. By the time the Raptors won their first championship, Jamil Abiad was already a highly accomplished player turned trainer committed to several coaching programs for junior and senior basketball athletes, mainly through his businesses NL Fitness and his U17/U19 boys program Team Believe.
Jamil Abiad’s philosophy behind the creation of Team Believe is to make sure that young athletes develop a sincere belief in their ability to achieve their dreams. By instilling things like volunteer work and a minimum grade-point average, Jamil has used Team Believe to help athletes become more than just great players, but great members of society as well.
Growing up in Ottawa, Jamil Abiad actually got his first start as a soccer player before being introduced to basketball at age 12. Discovering he had an immediate passion for the sport, Jamil leapt at every opportunity to self-improve and train so he could play at a professional level one day.
Through hard work and dedication, Jamil advanced to play University level basketball at Bishop’s University, where he earned several accolades including RSEQ Silver Medallist and RSEQ Champion. Being of average height, Jamil was frequently told he could not achieve success as a basketball player, but he proved his critics wrong time and time again.
After college, Jamil travelled to Lebanon to play professionally and during his travels got the chance to learn from several top NBA players and trainers. Using his knowledge, Jamil has been able to teach many aspiring athletes who have gone on to play in USPORTS, CCAA, NCAA, and professionally.
Over the time he’s spent as a basketball player and trainer, Jamil has discovered a system of coaching he believes works best for preparing a player’s body and mind for competition. Jamil believes in rigorous training, but also in balancing physical exertion with a focus on the mental aspects of athlete growth.
Taking what he has learnt from his time as a professional basketball player, Jamil delivers not only practical training but meaningful mentorship and motivational speaking. Jamil’s holistic approach to training and mentoring aspiring basketball players helps to give them the best start before heading to the next level.
With basketball continuing to grow in popularity in Canada, Jamil is well-positioned to leverage his expertise as a basketball coach and trainer to help athletes not only ace their game but be prepared for the stages in life that follow. His vision is to create a generation of players who are successful in all their pursuits both on and off the court, and who go on to inspire others that follow.
Because he works in an industry with a variety of other options for training and mentorship, Jamil acknowledges that his unique philosophy is what sets him apart. His personal passion for the sport of basketball rests behind everything he does. He is no doubt going to continue to make an immense impact on the snowballing popularity of basketball in Canada.
