MUMBAI: Four-time National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Dwight Howard, of the Orlando Magic, will travel to India from 10 to 14 August to participate in a series of basketball events in Bangalore and Delhi to further the growth of basketball and the NBA in the world’s second-largest nation.
Among his activities in India, Howard will train with India’s Senior Men’s National Basketball Team; conduct coaching and player clinics for Mahindra NBA Challenge participants, the NBA’s first community league in India; launch NBA Jam, an interactive fan basketball event; and attend the launch of the first two NBA shops opening within adidas stores in Bangalore and Delhi.
Howard says, “The game of basketball has been so good to me and I am excited to go to India on behalf of the NBA. Basketball is a global game and I love that the NBA is bringing the fun and excitement to fans around the world and introducing young athletes to the sport.”
The Mahindra NBA Challenge, the league’s first-ever community-based basketball league in India, launched in Mumbai, Bangalore and Ludhiana this summer and attracted participants including top players from each city.
On 11 August, Howard will make an appearance at the league in Bangalore where he will meet the participants and conduct basketball clinics for both the players and coaches.
Howard will train with India’s Senior Men’s National Basketball Team at the Sri Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore on 10 and 11 August to help them prepare for the International Basketball Federation’s (Fiba) 16th Asian Games which takes place in China this November.
He will then travel to Delhi on Aug. 13 and 14 to launch the second consecutive NBA Jam, the league’s traveling fan event in India that features interactive basketball activities. Howard will meet with fans and teach fundamental basketball skills to youth.
Howard will be on hand to launch the first-ever NBA shops to open within adidas stores in India. He will interact with fans and help introduce them to the most comprehensive assortment of NBA apparel and footwear in the country. The shops will open on Brigade Road in Bangalore on 10 August and in the Ambience Mall in Gurgaon on 14 August.
