NBA Jam Diary: Day one Mumbai

Action from day one – Mumbai.

The final leg of NBA JAM the tipped-off at St. Stanislaus School, Bandra, Mumbai on 26^th September and the event was graced by NBA legends Horace Grant, Ron Harper and Peja Stojakovic, who collectively have won 10 NBA Championships.

The legends interacted with the players and shared key tips and fundamentals of basketball. They also had an exhibition match with players after Harper provided tips on defense techniques while Stojakovic, showcased some moves on three-point shooting.

Before tip-off, Grant had a few encouraging words for the players: “It doesn’t matter about your economic background or how tall or short you are. If you are willing to learn and put the hard work in, you can become anything you want to become, the best basketball player or a footballer. All you need is determination, commitment, and passion. So keep working hard and keep practicing and most important don’t give-up and don’t stop learning.”

Various colligate teams from the city – across two age divisions for men and women (16-18 and 19-23 years old) – competed for a place in Sunday’s finals. A women’s division has been introduced for the first time this year.

St. Anthony’s girls and MMK Sparta boys scored crushing 20-0 victories over St. Andrew’s Red and RJGKP Fighters respectively on the opening day of the three-day Mumbai-leg. In another 20-0 verdict, Somaiya Spartans cruised past Thakur Rising Stars in the boys’ section.

Rohan from Thakur College said, “The contest is really gripping and fast paced. We are very excited to participate in NBA Jam. We believe it’s a great platform provided by the NBA to showcase our talent. We are hoping to go a long way. It would be a dream come true to share the same court with NBA legends.”

The inter-college 3×3 basketball event is quite different from the NBA 3X, which was introduced last year in India. This time around it is the whole package – basketball and music combined. Along with the regular competition, there were also fun events such as:

- Basketball clinics- Three point shootouts- Skills challenges- Gaming zone (NBA 2K13 on PS3 consoles)

The national finalists of the three-point shootout will also have an opportunity to shoot against two-time three-point shootout champion, Stojakovic.

The national finals will be a whole new experience, as it will feature a small scale NBA arena and performances by Sacramento Kings dance team, the New York Knicks dunk team and the Miami Heat Mascot

Day two tips-off at 3 pm on 27^th September and the winners of the 3-on-3 tournament will earn a ticket to the NBA JAM National Finals on Sunday, 29^th September at Mehboob Studio, Bandra. The finals will be televised on Sony Six.

NBA JAM was held in Hyderabad, Bangalore and Delhi earlier this month.

Below are the results from day one:

Sr. No.	Team Name	Score	Team Name	Score	Age Group
1	St. Andrews Red	0	St. Anthony	20	Sr. Girls
2	Thakur A	1	Sydenham thunder	7	Sr. Boys
3	Atharva Ace-A	1	Somaiya Dummy players	8	Sr. Boys
4	SFIT	8	G.M.R. Titans	0	Sr. Boys
5	KJSC	4	Pillais Oilers	7	Sr. Boys
7	Thakur Rising Stars	0	somaiya Spartons	20	Sr. Boys
8	RJC Team C	7	Gurukul Bomen	2	Sr. Boys
9	Pillai 3 Strom	2	LTCOE	3	Sr. Boys
10	UMIT	1	Bandra YMCA	3	Sr. Girls
11	Father Agnels All Star	2	KC All Star	11	Sr. Boys
12	SM Shetty	2	SIES Jump Ball	5	Sr. Boys
13	Khalsa	5	BHIC Lockers	6	Sr. Boys
14	St.Andrews Jr.	0	Xaviers Gym	0	Jr. Girls
15	Lilawati Podar	0	Bandra Y	5	Jr. Girls
16	Pune Ballers	7	Xaviers One	1	Jr. Girls
17	Andheri Y All M	2	St.Andrews Red	0	Jr. Girls
18	R.N. Podar	0	Gregorios	0	Jr. Girls
19	Indian Gym	4	St. Anthony	5	Jr. Girls
20	Vidyaniketan	3	Thakur Angry Birds	2	Jr.Boys
21	Gurukul	3	Gregorios	5	Jr.Boys
22	M.M.K. Sparta	20	R.J.GKP Fighters	0	Jr.Boys
23	Thakur College (Tigers)	3	DAVIANS	4	Jr.Boys
24	kishichand	1	Khalsa	5	Jr.Boys
25	R.J. Superb	7	R.N. Podar(All star)	3	Jr.Boys
26	K.M. Agrwal	2	Jr. Agnel	9	Jr.Boys
27	Gurukul Kings	5	MES Ball Buster	2	Jr.Boys
28	Podar Jaguar	4	ITM Fried Up Baller	0	Jr.Boys