Mumbai: NBA will make its debut in India when two American sides Indiana Pacers and the Sacramento Kings will take on each other in a pre-season game on Friday in Mumbai's NSCI Dome Stadium.
It seems the initiative to promote basketball in India has already gained momentum as the entire tickets have been sold out.
The two-day contest has been actually the driving force by Sacramento Kings' owner Vivek Ranadive, who wants a cricket crazy India to recognize basketball.
Speaking on the eve of the match, Ranadive said: "I am very excited as I am a Mumbaikar and returning back to a city were I took birth is matter of great happiness. Organising such a great event in hometown and my country is really very special moment for me."
"The contest has a long story behind and I believe in next 10 years we will produce great talents from India who will feature in the NBA. I also feel basketball will be the next most popular sport in India," he added.
"Definitely, cricket is the most popular game in India but I believe basketball will also gain popularity here as it could be played both indoors and outdoors and even in the urban and rural areas. I am confident basketball will become a popular sporting discipline in India," he expressed.
Prior to their new season, the NBA teams compete in pre-season contests and try to figure out their strengths and weaknesses.
Meanwhile, Kings' star player Buddy Hield said: "We will try to play our natural game and will look to rectify our mistakes before the 2019-20 season. It is just a pre-season game but we will have to get better with time."
Kings had a decent run in the last edition of the game but failed to make to the play-offs. However, Hield is confident that his team will surely make to the play-offs. "Me and my team both want to be in the play-offs this season. We fumbled in the play-offs last season but this time we aim to enter the play-offs without committing any mistakes. After looking at my team, I feel we can make it."
Significantly, Reliance has also been a major force behind bringing a major basketball event in India. Both NBA and Reliance Foundation have invited around 3,000 students from over 70 schools to witness the game in Mumbai.
