Impact of NBA JAM on India's young ballers

The NBA, in collaboration with Sony Six, launched NBA JAM in India in September, in an effort to popularise the sport in the subcontinent. The event was held in Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Mumbai. The event saw the inclusion of women’s divisions for the first time. The announcement was made by 2 time NBA Champion, Chris Bosh during his visit to India.

The month long festival saw the participation of over 500 teams and 1900 players across two age divisions for men and women competing, 16-18 and 19-23 years old; performances from top musical artists and well-known DJs each day; and an array of on and off the court activities for fans. The NBA JAM finals in Mumbai saw Bangalore Hoopsters win it all in three out of the four categories.

The NBA JAM was a huge success and in this article, we will take a look at the impact it has had on our country.

Popularising the game and the league

This is probably the biggest and most important impact the event has had on out country. The main problem with basketball in India is that not many people know the game well. These days, youngsters in the urban areas are slowly coming to terms with basketball and the NBA.

NBA JAM drew huge crowds wherever they went. Sony Six’s expert marketing was the main reason for this. The event was held in some of the most densely populated cities in our country and that helped in bringing out the public too. Other crowd-pullers were the Sacramento Kings Cheerleading team, New York Knicks Slam Dunk team and the Miami Heat Mascot.

Since it was a free for all event, youngsters from different parts of the country flocked to the nearest city where the event was held. The arrival of NBA legends Horace Grant, Ron Harper and Peja Stojakovic further added credence to the event.

As a part of NBA Jam, the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy was on display for fans at Adidas stores in all the four cities. Fans that visited these Adidas stores got the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to enter a sweepstakes competition and win a chance to meet one of the 3 NBA Legends.

Opportunity to Showcase Talent

There are a lot of talented young ballers in our country. But there isn’t a proportional amount of opportunities for them to showcase their talent in order to take it to the next level. While we have plenty of cricket and football clubs, the same cannot be said for basketball. The lack of a league for basketball like the I-league for football further deepens this problem. Talented youngsters go unnoticed.

This was an excellent opportunity for them to showcase their potential. Youngsters representing their schools/colleges got enormous support from their institutions. They also got the experience of playing in front of a crowd.

Chance to play on a proper surface

In our country, most of the youngsters play basketball on concrete or clay courts. While this is economically viable for clubs and schools, no professional league is played on these surfaces. This was an opportunity for them to play on a FIBA standard quality surface. This is what veteran of basketball operations in India, Troy Justice had to say on the matter:

“The court surface we are laying down is a FIBA standard quality product which is used throughout the world. Using the Sport Court material, we can set up courts anywhere. It doesn’t have a large footprint and gives us a lot of flexibility.”

An opportunity to meet NBA Legends

Horace Grant, Ron Harper and Peja Stojakovic are highly experienced former All-Stars. Together, they have won 10 NBA Championships between them. Their presence during this event boosted the morale of the players and inspired them.

Taking time out of his busy schedule, Grant felicitated Delhi Basketball teams on their victories in the U-16 and U-18 National Championship.

The winners of NBA JAM got an opportunity to play a 3-on-3 game against the NBA legends. The winner of the 3-point shootout got to shoot against Stojavokic, who ranks sixth in All-time number of three pointers made.

Most of the players also got to spend some quality time with Grant. They used this time effectively to pick the mind of the 4 time NBA Champion. Earlier during the Delhi edition, Grant conducted drills, shooting competitions and interactive sessions which the youngsters would have greatly benefited from.

Fun Side of the NBA

Sports in India generally focus on exactly that: Sports. These days, especially after the rolling out of IPL, the entertainment element in Sports had gained more importance. People expect music and theatricality throughout the game.

The JAM session appealed to the senses too. The three entertainment teams from the NBA, namely the Sacramento cheerleading squad, the New York Knicks Slam dunk Team and the Miami Heat Mascot kept the crowd entertained during breaks. Various top notch Indian DJ’s, bands and artists performed at the venues making the JAM a fun fest.

Several Indian celebrities also attended the Finals, including Nikhil Chinappa, VJ Bani, Rannvijay, Sushma Reddy, Carol Gracias, and Neetu Chandra.

While Basketball’s popularity is definitely increasing, especially amongst the youngsters, it’s nowhere close to the dominance of Cricket or Football(in urban areas). This year’s NBA JAM was a significant step in popularising the game and providing the youngsters with a chance to showcase their talent. With more JAMs scheduled to take place in our country in the forthcoming years, one can expect young Indian ballers to take a stronghold in the international front in the near future.