Thursday 20 December 2018 10:55, UK
NBA teams the Sacramento Kings and the Indiana Pacers will become the first two American professional sports franchises to play a match in India.
The Kings, who were bought by Indian-origin businessman Vivek Ranadive in 2013, will play the Pacers in two pre-season games on October 4-5 in Mumbai.
"As an Indian-American, it is an honour to help bring this historic moment to the country where I was raised," said Ranadive, who is the first Indian majority owner of an NBA team
"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 commissioner Adam Silver added: "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 NBA opened an office in Mumbai in 2011 and launched NBA Academy India in the country's capital Delhi, six years later. The state-of-the art facility is the training base for 22 elite male players, who were selected following a three-month, nationwide basketball talent search.
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