Inside INdiana Business is reporting that the Indiana Pacers will be part of NBA history next year, taking part in the league’s first games in India. The Pacers and Sacramento Kings will play two preseason games in Mumbai in October.
The NBA India Games are set for Friday, October 4 and Saturday, October 5 at the NSCI Dome in Mumbai. The league will also host fan events, youth basketball programming and community outreach? events. The games will air live in India and reach fans through television, digital and social media channels.
The games are the latest piece in the NBA’s ongoing strategy in India. The league says more than 35 current and former NBA and WNBA players have visited India on behalf of the NBA since 2006, and it opened an office in Mumbai in 2011. It also opened the NBA Academy India training center last year. More than 350 NBA games air in the south Asian nation each season. The Sacramento Kings boast the NBA’s first Indian-born majority owner Vivek Ranadivé.