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First-Ever NBA Game in India will be played in October 2019
- Updated: September 22, 2019
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It is a commonly used phrase in India that if you are tall you have a great career in basketball or if you are a girl then you should never join basketball as it will make you super tall which will be difficult in terms of finding a groom. Silly superstitions, because if you have seen the 1996 animation movie Space Jam, you will know that a 5ft. 3in guy can be one of the best basketball players in the world! With so much confusion around the sport, basketball is one of the most popular and most played sports in the world, and is considered one of the top four professional league games in the United States of America. We all have heard of the name Michael Jordan, no matter if we are an avid follower of the game, and he is one of the top rated basketball players of all time. But to understand more about the game, we need to understand the league. Basketball is more than just scoring a goal, just like cricket is more than just scoring a six or taking the middle stump.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) was the result of the merger of two rival leagues – the National Basketball League (NBL) and American Basketball Association (ABA). But all was not smooth with the league till 1984 when David Stern transformed a declining franchise into an international sensation and a pioneer name in American basketball. Currently there are 30 teams with 29 hailing from North America and 1 from Canada. Like any other sport, the teams go through a series of tournaments each year and the top teams go for face off. At the end the winning team is declared champions for the year. If we are talking about a historic team then the only name that comes till date is that of Boston Celtics who has claimed 11 titles out of the 13 matches they played. The chances of a single person topping this claim were really high. Michael Jordan was a synonym for NBA. In fact, basketball meant Jordan and the 1990s was his era. The star player of Chicago Bulls, if Jordan did not retire suddenly he could definitely have claimed 8 out of 10 titles. But his retirement saw the Space Jam movie which also triggered a rage amongst youngsters for the game that helped Looney Toons reclaim their freedom.
While India is predominantly a cricket fanatic country, other sports are taken seriously too and the proof of this statement lies in the fact that more than 35 NBA and WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) players, both current and former, have paid a visit to the subcontinent since 2006 for the youth initiation programs. This program was started by Reliance Foundation’s Education and Sports for All (ESA) which collaborated with NBA Jr. Program in a bid to incorporate more youth in sports and extracurricular activities as part of overall development. Launched in 2013, the program has already made a positive impact on over 10 million youth. In order to create more of an impact NBA India has announced their first ever two pre-season NBA games to be hosted in India. The days are set for the 4th and 5th of October 2019. The NSCI Dome at Sardar Vallabhai Patel Stadium, Mumbai will witness the face-off between Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings. Since it is part of the Reliance Foundation Initiative, about 3000 girls and boys will be present to enjoy, learn and experience one of the finest games of NBA. Reliance and NBA both share a common belief that sports have the capacity to heal and transform minds and lives. This initiative will mark a historic change in India’s sporting history.
Coming to the teams, the Indiana Pacers are members of the Eastern Conference Central Division and were part of ABA prior to the merger. As part of ABA, they have won 3 titles and since the merger have achieved 1 title but have 9 division titles in their belt. With Head Coach Nate McMillan, they are currently in the era of Oladipo who has successfully shut down criticisms with his spectacular scoring of points as he steals and rebounds. The Sacramento Kings who are the Western Conference’s Pacific Division members and have been with NBA since the beginning. With a record of 61–21 the 2000s was the team’s golden era. While their latest performance were not up to the mark with the choice of lineups which caused them to end up as 9th in the district, things are stated to take a turn for the better with Luke Walton as the Head Coach for the current season. That said, it is of great importance that an Indian finds a spot in the NBA league for India to take more notice of the game.
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