FIRST-EVER NBA GAME IN INDIA TO BE PLAYED IN FRONT OF YOUTH FROM RELIANCE FOUNDATION JR. NBA PROGRAM

- NBA and Reliance Foundation to Invite 3,000 Boys and Girls from More Than 70 Schools Across Mumbai to Attend Oct. 4 Game Between Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers -

MUMBAI, Sept. 12, 2019 – NBA India today announced that the first-ever NBA game in India will be played in front of 3,000 boys and girls from more than 70 schools under the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA program.

Reliance Foundation is a non-profit organization that supports various philanthropic initiatives of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and has partnered with the NBA on the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA program in India since 2013.

The NBA India Games 2019, which will feature the Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers playing two preseason games Friday, Oct. 4 and Saturday, Oct. 5 at the Dome, NSCI, SVP Stadium in Mumbai, will mark the first games that teams from a North American sports league will play in India.  The NBA India Game on Oct. 5 will be open to fans who have purchased tickets through BookMyShow.

As part of Reliance Foundation’s Education and Sports for All (ESA) initiative, the NBA will invite 3,000 boys and girls from more than 70 participating Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA schools in Mumbai to attend “The NBA India Games for Reliance Foundation ESA” on Oct. 4. 

“We are proud to provide young Indian boys and girls under the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA program with the opportunity to experience the first-ever NBA game in India,” said NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum.  “We share Reliance Foundation’s belief in the transformative power of sport and its ability to capture a child’s imagination, and these historic events will inspire youth across the country for years to come.”

In addition to the games, the league and its partners will host interactive fan activities, Jr. NBA events, an NBA Academy India development camp for women, and NBA Cares community outreach efforts benefiting fans of all ages across Mumbai. 

The Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA program is a comprehensive youth development initiative that aims to develop the game at the grassroots level and apply the core values of basketball – teamwork, respect, determination and community – to positively impact the lives of boys and girls in India.  Since its launch in 2013, the program has reached more than 10 million youth from 10,000 schools across 34 cities and has trained more than 10,000 physical education instructors nationwide. Ten boys and 10 girls from the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA program represented India in the second Jr. NBA Global Championship, a youth basketball tournament for top 13- and 14-year-old boys and girls teams from around the world on Aug. 6-11, 2019 at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Fla.

For more information, fans in India can follow the NBA on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and use the hashtag #NBAIndiaGames.  For the latest news, updates, scores, stats, schedules, videos and more, download the official NBA App on iOS and Android. 

About Reliance Foundation

Reliance Foundation (RF), the philanthropic arm of Reliance Industries Limited, aims to play a catalytic role in addressing the nation’s development challenges through innovative and sustainable solutions. Led by Founder and Chairperson Smt. Nita Ambani, RF is relentlessly working towards facilitating transformative changes to ensure overall well-being and higher quality of life for all. Among India’s largest social initiatives, RF is focused on addressing the nation’s development challenges in areas of Rural Transformation, Health, Education, Sports for Development, Disaster Response, Urban Renewal, and Arts, Culture and Heritage. Reliance Foundation has touched the lives of more than 29 million people across India, in more than 18,000 villages and several urban locations.

About the NBA

The NBA is a global sports and media business built around four professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, the NBA G League and the NBA 2K League.  The NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 50 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 100,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents.  NBA rosters at the start of the 2018-19 season featured 108 international players from 42 countries and territories.  NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass.  The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with 1.6 billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms.  Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes.