The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league with teams in the United States and Canada. Nearly every team, with one exception, has a squad of dancers for cheerleading that are usually involved in dancing, charity work, fundraisers, and modeling. [1] Recently, some NBA teams have expanded their previously all-girl teams to be more inclusive as part of efforts to appeal to a broader and rapidly growing audience.
The only team currently without traditional NBA dancers is the San Antonio Spurs. [30] Until 2018, they had a dance squad called the Silver Dancers.
Maya Hayes (1996–1999) – dancer and choreographer Currently the Founder and President of the National Basketball Dancer Alumni Club est. 2023. She also served as the game day entertainment coordinator and choreographer for the Jr. Basketball League under the direction of Mr. LaVar Ball.