Encestando Sueños: Where Basketball Meets Purpose in Panama
As a founding member of Encestando Sueños – Scoring Dreams – see how adidas is committed to changing lives through sport.
Basketball has always been part of Panama’s cultural DNA. It’s the coach who shows up every weekend without being asked, the families in the stands, and the kids who practice until the lights go out. Encestando Sueños was built to give that energy the structure, visibility, and support it deserves across the country.
What is Encestando Sueños?
Encestando Sueños (Scoring Dreams) is a platform born from the strategic alliance between adidas, Copa Airlines & Fundación Despega, and Motta Internacional – three companies united by a shared conviction that sport changes lives.
Together with FEPABA (the Basketball Federation of Panama) and Panama’s local basketball academies, they set out to build a long-term ecosystem to elevate the sport and open real opportunities for the next generation: a national league, certified coaches, renovated courts, scholarships, and a direct pathway from neighborhood courts to international recruitment.
"15 months ago, we sat down with Copa Airlines and Motta International and we agreed that we wanted to go one step further on our social impact program. We wanted to create an ever-lasting impact on young kids in Panama, while bringing back Panama’s basketball legacy from the 80s. And so Encestando Sueños was born." – Salvador Mothe, VP Sales at adidas
Encestando Sueños doesn’t create passion; it amplifies it. And the results speak for themselves.
577+ young people were directly impacted in 2025, with over 6,000 indirectly reached (players & coaches). This year, more than 700 athletes participated in the 2026 opening championships.
These numbers reflect something deeper than sport; they represent access, belonging, and opportunity for a new generation that found in basketball a place to dream, train, and grow. But behind every stat is a structure. Encestando Sueños was designed around three pillars that work together, because real impact doesn’t happen on one front alone: Sport. Education. Community.
Education: Full English-language scholarships for the Top 15 players in the league, official coach licensing, PE teacher certification reaching public schools nationwide, and educational pathways toward U.S. college sports opportunities.
Community: Reviving courts, strengthening local leagues, and creating safe spaces for youth development while breathing new life into spaces that matter most.
Competition:The creation of the Liga Federativa de Baloncesto de Panama (LFBP) a national federation league with real-time stats, live broadcasts, FEPABA-endorsed tournaments, and genuine national reach across three provinces.
These aren’t abstract goals. In the first year alone, they translated into concrete milestones that reshaped what basketball looks like across Panama. Here are some of our highlights from the first year of operation:
Three courts were renovated: Roberto Kelly Complex (x2) and Instituto Comercial Panama — giving back key community spaces.
Three provinces were represented: A truly national league for the first time, connecting youth from across Panama through the LFBP.
Three athletes attended Donovan Mitchell’s camp: A once-in-a-generation exposure moment, connecting Panamanian talent to the global basketball stage.
42 live digital broadcasts, plus a national open-TV final that reached over 22,000 viewers, making the game visible to all.
155K+ unique users and 55K+ interactions on the program’s Instagram, building a real digital community around the sport.
One FEPABA-endorsed championship: Legitimate competitive structure giving young athletes something real to compete for.
Looking Ahead
2026 is all about building on the foundations set in 2025. There will be a U.S. scouting visit by Gillion Academy coaches for the Top 30 athletes from last season and an increase in digital broadcasts to over 100 matches, with continued national open-TV coverage throughout the year. Sustainable impact strategies where growth is measured in both numbers and life stories will be introduced, as well as sponsorship of the Kiwanis basketball league which supports the participation of public schools. There will also be workshops for parents, referees and coaches focusing on 4 values: respect, fair play, self-control, and commitment.
Panamanian basketball reclaims its prominence and continues to serve as a development platform for the next generation, connecting court-level talent with international opportunity.
None of this happens alone. The engine behind Encestando Sueños is a coalition of organizations, brands, and institutions that chose to invest not in visibility, but in impact.
