​1 / 10Augusta’s Elijah Crawford (1) shoots the ball during the The Skill Factory and CP3 game at Peach Jam in North Augusta, S.C., on Wednesday, July 20, 2022. TSF defeated CP3 59-58.(Katie Goodale, Augusta Chronicle USA TODAY NETWORK)For Augusta’s River Region, North America’s biggest grassroots amateur basketball tournament, which starts Tuesday, is a cash cow wearing Nike sneakers.This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Nike EYBL Peach Jam, a massive showcase that draws America’s and Canada’s top teenage hoops prospects to the Riverview Park Activities Center in North Augusta. It also draws top college and pro recruiters eager to add talented players to their rosters.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHoop dreams: How Augusta became the 30-year home of Nike EYBL Peach Jam basketballIt is also expected to deliver an eye-popping economic impact of more than $11 million to the Augusta area in July, according to Destination Augusta and the Augusta Sports Council.The event began in 1996 as the Nike Peach Basket Summer Hoop Classic, but ran into a small legal entanglement with the National Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., over the use of the phrase “peach basket.” Basketball’s inventor, Dr. James Naismith, hung two peach baskets on opposite gymnasium walls in 1891 to create the new sport.More than 250 Division I and pro coaches showed up for the first tourney in 1996. In recent years, the number of coaches has typically doubled.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe 2026 Nike Junior EYBL Championship, highlighting middle-school-aged players, ran from July 7 to 12 and delivered an estimated economic impact of more than $5.4 million. The pre-level Peach Jam from July 14 to 19 is expected to bring in more than $6.1 million.Together, the tourneys will bring in more than 96% of the Augusta region’s nearly $12 million estimated economic impact for July from travel and tourism events, including three family reunions and the North Georgia Annual Convention for the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Here are more than 11 million reasons why Peach Jam benefits Augusta