The games will be held in NCSI Dome in Worli on October 4 and 5.
The NBA is finally coming to India!
The league announced last week that the Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings will play two preseason games in Mumbai next year. The historic games will take place at the NCSI Dome in Worli, Mumbai, on October 4 and 5. Not only will this mark the first such time an NBA game has been held in India, but it will be the first game in the country featuring a North American sports team.
Kings owner and Mumbai native Vivek Ranadive spoke of the huge announcement, saying “The Sacramento Kings are proud to be playing in the first NBA games ever held in India. As an Indian American, it is an honor to help bring this historic moment to the country where I was raised.”
Although the two teams are not necessarily the biggest marquee matchup that could have been announced to play, the games will nonetheless be a major step in integrating the two markets and spreading the growth of basketball in India. On the topic of basketball’s growth in the country Ranadive added: “The sport is experiencing tremendous growth in India and we are excited about continuing to expand the NBA’s reach to fans across the globe. The world wants to watch basketball and India is a fast-growing new frontier.”
NBA Global Games originated in 1978 with an exhibition matchup between the then-Washington Bullets (now Wizards) and Israeli Premier League team Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. in Israel. These games have since spread to 12 different countries. With its growing attempts to develop a fan base in the country, India now joins the list of the many international markets, including China, Europe, and Mexico, the NBA has expanded its range towards.
Although not nearly as “basketball-crazy” as China and Europe, the potential is there, as stated by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “Our inaugural NBA India Games will help further untap the enormous basketball potential in a country with a thriving sports culture and a growing, young and engaged population,” the commissioner said.
Many attempts have been made at uncovering this potential and influencing the growth of the sport such as in the summer of 2017 when NBA MVP and champion Kevin Durant went to New Delhi and hosted a practice session for aspiring athletes. He, too, carried a similar sentiment saying “The buzz around basketball here is growing and growing every single day… We’re just planting seeds, and hopefully by next year at this time we’ll see more and more eyes on the game of basketball.”
The Pacers, led by 2018 NBA All-Star Victor Oladipo, were defeated in an exciting 7-game series in the first round of last year’s playoffs and are currently 4th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 21-12. Meanwhile, the Kings, led by the excellent play of De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield, have exceeded expectations and are currently in the playoff picture sitting at the 8th seed of the Western Conference with a record of 17-15.
Although tickets are not currently on sale, fans can visit nbaevents.com/indiagames to register interest for information and tickets, according to NBA.com.