Mumbai: Ahead of the first-ever NBA India Games, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced that the league was giving serious considering starting a league in India to foster the growth of the sport in the country with a population of over a billion.
File image of Adam Silver. Reuters
“We've seen enormous progress in India just in the last five years. One of the things we've been discussing recently ― and I know this is something else my friend Vivek (Ranadive, owner of the Sacramento Kings) is pushing me on ― is the ability to launch a league here in India. As I've said, we have wonderful partners in the Reliance Foundation, with SONY TEN, our broadcaster, and some of our other top-notch corporate relationships here. That is something (we’re working on) in these days while we're here. We're holding meetings on this and openly having discussions. I will say that I'm not sure five years ago that was something that was even possible,” Silver told media at a press conference before the first game of NBA India Games between Sacramento Kings and Indian Pacers.
“So I think our two most immediate goals in India for the NBA are, one, to see the development of some top-tier talent coming out of India and making it to the NBA and WNBA. And, two, serious consideration of the launch of a league!” Silver added.
“What I see happening is that within the next 10 years, this game ― while it'll never surpass cricket as the national pastime ― but it'll be right up there. And hopefully, we can launch a league right here in India. I hope in the next 10 years that we'll have at least one player that comes out of the system that plays in the NBA. We already see players. And I fully expect that there will be arenas that spring up across the country where we can play these games,” said Mumbai-born Ranadive, who was instrumental in convincing the league to host the first-ever NBA India Games.
The Indian-original business tycoon added that he had also spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about building arenas in cities across India.
On being asked what timeline they were looking at to launch a league in India, Silver said, “In terms of timing on the league, as I said, it's something we're giving serious consideration to right now. I actually announced earlier today, it's my hope that within five years we have an Indian player in the NBA. And I think for serious consideration of a league, I'd use that same timing. It's something we would hope to do within the next five years.”
Silver also pointed out that while the NBA India Games were historic, it was still “a small step”.
“It's fantastic and, as I said, historic to have these two games here, but in the larger scope of developing a business, it's a very small step. You really have to go into it knowing that this is going to be a long-term project, especially as I said earlier, it requires an arena infrastructure if we're serious about a league.”
In an exclusive interview with Network18 earlier in the day, Silver, while answering a question about an Indian breaking into the NBA, had mentioned that the league “was a little too reliant on the system that existed in India to develop players” and that they had understood “that they had to play a more active role in the development of Indian players”.
At the press conference, he was asked if the NBA was in touch with the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) about starting a league.
“We are connected with the BFI through FIBA (the world governing body for basketball). We've been dedicated to the global growth of the game. We work on the ground here in India just as we work globally with our federation.
“I'll just say when we get involved with our Junior NBA programs, we're and foremost, we're teaching young people the values around the game of basketball. It's less in many ways about the NBA, and our view is that the more young boys and girls we can get to bounce basketballs, whether they play for a local league here, hopefully potentially play for your national team, or then can possibly one day play in the NBA, all of those different goals are important to us. But we also recognize to grow this game, India or globally, we need to work hand in hand with local federations and leagues where they exist.”
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