The countdown for National Basketball League’s first-ever preseason games in India began on Friday with a sound and light show at the iconic Gateway of India. The build-up will continue with a floating basketball court near the Bandra-Worli Sealink.
But everyone involved in organising the two games between Sacramento Kings and the Indiana Pacers on October 4 and 5 at the NSCI Dome stadium in Mumbai are well aware that it is the chance of getting to watch the matches live is the unique selling point of the entire venture and are determined to make that experience as authentic as possible.
“Just one percent of our fans worldwide really get the opportunity to watch a NBA game live,” Diane Gotua, vice-president of global business operations of NBA, said. “So, that’s another fact that our decision to bring the game was that our fans get a chance to be part of that one percent.
“The key piece for us is that we want to bring the authentic live NBA Game experience here. All those elements we have in our games domestically, you are going to have here,” explained Gotua, who shifted to India seven months back to oversee the preparations.
Of the two games the teams will play at the NSCI Dome, tickets were sold only for the second game on October 5. The first game was picked as an opportunity for basketball playing kids, the main target audience for NBA, across Mumbai to witness the spectacle.
“Our game on October 4 is something we are really excited about. We have been fortunate that we share the same vision with Reliance Foundation who has been our partner now for six years,”she said.
“That game is going to be played in front of 3000 kids from over 70 schools from all over Mumbai. So if we are talking about accessibility, I think that’s a huge statement. In fact, the first-ever game in India is for kids and kids that have been part of our junior NBA program.”
The minimum ticket costs Rs 4500 going well up to Rs 85000 for the court-side seats in the 4500 capacity stadium.
“We have been very pleased with the response. I think 80% of the ticket inventory when we launched ticket sales was sold on the first day,” she claimed, adding the Global Games was a scarce resource and is a stepping stone towards expanding NBA’s base in the country.
Apart from the games, a special clinic will be held for 50 girls from the junior NBA program on Monday and about 100 coaches will participate in the coaches’ clinic.
But it is the long term impact of these games that the NBA wants to focus on and believe that the content created and attention generated through the games would go a long way in widening the fan base.
“We have seen over the years that our reach numbers have increased. So we are pleased with that but I think there is room for growth. But we want to increase the pace of that growth,” Gotua said, adding that most kids become fans of a sport or pick it up between the age of eight and nine and that is also their target audience.
The Junior NBA program in partnership with Reliance Foundation has spread to 10000 schools and reached 10 million kids in the last six years but Gotua has set a bigger target in the coming years.
“Our vision is to find an Indian player to be drafted in the first round of our draft in the coming years. Now we have 24 boys in our academy and we also have a camp for women. And we will continue investing in talent development,” she added.