Mumbai: NBA (National Basketball Association) India today (September 12) announced that the first-ever NBA basketball 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 programme.

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

Also read: Indian girl Sanjana Ramesh goes to WNBA

The NBA India Games 2019, which will feature the Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers playing two preseason games on October 4 and 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 October 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 October 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.