NBA bets big on India

Basketball is the second fastest growing sport in India

Suvi Dogra
New Delhi, March 2, 2009

Popular American basketball league, the National Basketball Association (NBA), has embarked upon aggressive plans to promote the sport and subsequently increase its business in India. “NBA has a long-term plan for the development of basketball and its business in India. Despite the current economic challenges, it (NBA) has not changed its plans in India and continues to believe in the opportunity here. NBA is making long-term investments in resources, operations and programs,” says Akash Jain, director (International Development – India), NBA, told Business Standard.

As part of its immediate plan, the association will open an office in the country that includes building a substantial on-field presence by developing management and functional expertise. It will also invest in bringing a variety of grassroot-level programs, designed to develop the sport across all levels and showcase the lifestyle attributes of the NBA. “We took almost 30 years to build our business in China, which is now the second most significant market for the NBA after the US. We have a long-term view of the return on our investment in India,” said Jain.

“In the near term, we expect to see a steady improvement in the level of the game in India, both at the grassroots and elite levels.”

NBA will work with its current merchandising partners such as Adidas, Electronic Arts and Spalding in India to innovate and create products that will attract local consumers. “We are also seeking to develop alliances with new partners in order to increase our portfolio of products available in India and widen distribution of those products,” Jain said.

According to the Basketball Federation of India (BFI), basketball is the second fastest growing sport in the country with around 4 million participants.

Betting on the game, NBA has rolled out the Junior NBA/Junior WNBA Hoop School Program, its first-ever grassroot-level program for Indian youth between ages 8 and 16 years.

The 5-week program, which was announced in Delhi last month, is designed to promote education, basketball participation and a healthy lifestyle among children in India. Currently, it has coaching clinics in Delhi, Bangalore, and Mumbai.

NBA will also use the Internet and other media platforms to promote the brand, its teams and players, as well as its initiatives in the country. “As broadband penetration continues to increase in India, we believe the Internet will provide an important platform in developing new fans for basketball and the NBA. Over half of NBA.com’s traffic today comes from outside the US, which highlights the importance of the digital media increasing the reach of the NBA around the world.” Jain said.