Buoyed by the success of the NBA India Games 2019, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stated that the league plans to return to India as quickly as possible.
The NBA India Games 2019 featured two pre-season games between the Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers in Mumbai.
“We do have plans to come back to India. Playing the two pre-season games in Mumbai was an incredible experience. Both teams really embraced the experience. We also have (Sacramento Kings owner) Vivek Ranadive, who was born in India. It was a great experience, but everything got put on hold because of the pandemic,” Silver stated in a press conference in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
“We have 30 teams in the NBA, so we can engage with fans in many different continents and countries. We’ve had discussions about returning to India as quickly as possible,” Silver said.
The development of the sport in India is the primary focus of the league, Silver added. “While pre-season games are special, it is only a moment in time. What we are really focused on is developing the game throughout India. We will work with FIBA (international basketball federation) to conduct more clinics, more academies, and to help better distribute the game in India,” Silver said.
Silver said that young French forward Victor Wembanyama could be the league’s next big star. Wembanyama is considered one of Europe’s best prospects and is touted to be the first pick in the 2023 NBA draft.
“I could jinx a player by anointing him as the next great one,” he said.
Victor certainly has all the attributes to be a true game-changer. NBA teams are salivating at the notion that they could get him,” Silver said.
(The author is in Abu Dhabi on invitation from NBA India)
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