NBA to tip-off grassroots community programmes in Mumbai

The National Basketball Association (NBA) will begin a series of grassroots community, youth basketball and elite development events and programmes set to impact thousands of young people, teachers, coaches and families across Mumbai.

This comes ahead of The NBA India Games 2019, which will be played between the Kings and Pacers in Worli here on October 4 and 5.

Throughout the week, NBA Cares, Jr. NBA, Her Time to Play and NBA Academy programming will feature basketball clinics, community impact projects and special events.

These are designed to encourage physical fitness, inspire play, empower women and girls and create sustainable, technology-equipped spaces to support STEM education for kids of all ages, a media release said.

Continuing and expanding these initiatives ahead of The NBA India Games, the NBA,Pacers and Kings will support five under-resourced municipal schools in and around Mumbai, including Sitaram Mill Compound BMC Marathi School, where league and team executives and former NBA players will break ground on a new basketball court on October 5.

In partnership with American India Foundation (AIF), this joint 'Legacy Project' will transform the educational experience of hundreds of Mumbai's most under-served students for years to come.

Students and teachers will have access to new smart classrooms, STEM Resource Centres and a robotics lab outfitted with new technology, digital STEM curriculum and training, and improved infrastructure for school facilities, as well as the newly-constructed basketball court.

Additionally, Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA programmes will be launched at each school for both boys and girls, it said.

"Our mission is to use basketball as a platform for good and we are thrilled to partner with the American India Foundation to invest in the education and growth, both physically and mentally, of youth in India," said Kings Chairman, CEO and Governor Vivek Ranadiv.

"We are excited to partner with the American India Foundation to support the health, wellness and education of under-served youth in Mumbai," said Pacers Chairman, CEO and Governor Herb Simon.