More than 4,000 athletes representing 27 tribes competed in five different sports at the 2026 Lori Piestewa National Native American Games, which was held at the Arizona Athletic Grounds in Mesa from July 10 to 12.

The Piestewa Games are named in honor of Lori Piestewa (Hopi), who was the first Native American woman to die in combat while serving in the U.S. military.

A handful of Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community member players and coaches participated in the games, which included baseball, basketball, fast-pitch and coed slow-pitch softball, men’s and women’s overnight softball, and wrestling.

The most action for SRPMIC players came on the indoor basketball court and outside in the scorching July heat on the artificial-turf baseball fields.

3 Takeaways:

• The popular Piestewa Games featured more than 4,000 athletes.
• SRPMIC athletes participated in basketball and baseball.
• Teams from the Community included Desert Dingers and AZ SONS (baseball) and basketball teams Native Clash, The River and NWT.

BASEBALL

Baseball teams kept a healthy supply of water handy to beat the heat. The shade was prime real estate.

The Desert Dingers

The single-A Desert Dingers are coached by SRPMIC member Whitney Grey. Don’t let their 1-1 record in the tournament fool you. They won their first game 7-3 and only lost by two runs in their second game. Their hard-fought, consistent play led them to the championship bracket, where they blanked TC KINGZ 3-0 and eventually lost to the AZ SONS.

AZ Sons

SRPMIC member Arnold Thomas coaches the single-A and double-A AZ Sons teams, which sometimes have a member or two from the Community on the squad. They even have some assistant coaches from the Community. The program is on fire lately, placing high in most recent tournaments.

During the Piestewa baseball tournament, the single-A squad went undefeated in their two pool games and won their first championship tournament game vs. the Desert Dingers 6-3. Guadalupe put a stop to the Sons’ run, as they came out on top in the championship game 7-4.

The Sons’ double-A team also made it to the championship bracket, winning the first three games they played. However, the team ran out of steam by the time they could face Hitters Paradise, who defeated the Sons 8-1.

BASKETBALL

The annual Lori Piestewa basketball tournament featured some of the best and brightest hoopers in the country. With more than 200 teams across several boys and girls age divisions, the annual basketball tournament also featured a few of the well-known hoopers and impressive student-athletes from the SRPMIC.

Native Clash

During this year’s Piestewa Games, the SRPMIC ballclub Native Clash played well in the boys’ seventh-grade division. The club squeaked out a nail-biting victory during their first game of the tournament, defeating Northern Thunder by a single bucket. Native Clash then was defeated by the Wookies; however, the team earned the right to play in their divisional championship, against Four Directions. Sadly, Native Clash lost by two points.

The River

One thing is certain about The River: Their legion of fans and supporters travel well, regardless of a tournament’s location. In their first game, against New Era, they dominated and cruised to the easy victory, winning 55-16 in front of many fans. The River notched two additional victories against the Rattlers and Jellyfish Jammers, which resulted in the SRPMIC ballclub securing a ticket to the boys’ varsity championship. Sadly, the OVO Nephs bested The River with a score of 52-61.

NWT Always living up to their team’s name, Natives With Talent (NWT) showed why their team-oriented play has established their reputation as one of the premiere basketball clubs in the state. Playing in the girls’ varsity division, NWT defeated Dream Snatchers 48-33 and garnered an impressive win against Lady Hoa Nad: O Kam, 80-8. NWT advanced to the championship game on Sunday but fell short to Rez Made, 52-36.