Want basketball to be second-most popular sport, says NBA India MD

In an interaction with DT Next, NBA India Managing Director Rajesh Sethi revealed NBA’s plans for 2020 and talked about the possibility of having a local basketball league. Excerpts:

Is NBA planning a franchise-based league in India like the Indian Premier League (IPL) or the Indian Super League (ISL) in the near future?

We are focused on creating an ecosystem for basketball in the country. Having a local professional basketball league will be a natural progression towards creating economic value for players and the country at large. Many corporates have shown interest to be an integralpart of the league, which is stilla work-in-progress.

Any big plans for 2020 as far as NBA in India is concerned?

We will be having our grassroot programme, Reliance Foundation Jr NBA, for the seventh consecutive year across 34 cities in more than 7900 schools. We will look to increase the number of NBA Basketball Schools across India. Besides, we will continue to look to develop the elite talent at the NBA Academy India. Another goal we have is to set up the league’s first-ever NBA Storein India.

Have you set any particular targets with regards to the interactionlevels between the fans and the league in India?

All our efforts are focused on growing the game of basketball in India. We aim to make basketball the second-most popular sport in India in the near future and draw more fans along the way. The NBA India Games 2019 brought the authenticNBA experience to our fans and increased the interactions we have with them. Our journey in India has given us an opportunity to explore and understand the connection between the fansand the sport. 

How much of a boost was it to have the first-ever NBA India Games last year. Have you been able to notice considerable growth in the sport since the momentous occasion?

The success of the India Games has triggered an inflection point for NBA in India. While it has created a lot of buzz, it has also ticked many boxes for us. It has sent out a message internally that India is ready for the next leap. The matches also brought India on the radar of other teams and players. Staging international games is important to our business and teams recognize the opportunity thatis there here.