India

Jordan Ramirez

"It’s all about [the players]," explained Kings General Manager Vlade Divac.

"We are behind the scenes, and we have to make sure we provide everything for them to hold them accountable after that. If you provide everything, then you can really push what you want from them."

Speaking to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Divac explained the importance of team culture and the growth an organization goes through on such a long trip.

"That’s the idea," continued Divac. "It took me a few years to get it going in this direction. You can’t change it overnight.”

Amick's journey continued with assistant coach Roy Rana, who held a coaching clinic alongside Pacers assistant Bill Bayno for Indian coaches from the entire region.

“The first time [to India], it blows you away,” Rana said. “You kind of want to get to a safe place as quick as you can, because it’s such a shock to your senses.

It’s challenging, but it’s also very beautiful. It’s also really moving in many different ways, so it doesn’t shock my senses anymore as much. But certainly, the smells, the sounds, the density, it always gives you a unique perspective.”

Finally, Bollywood was a major theme throughout the team's visit. Whether it was stars sitting courtside or the traditional Indian clothing at the team after party - the energy was contagious.

"We’re such a heavy cricket nation," said Neha Dhupia, an Indian influencer in attendance for the games.

"The minute you tell your child, ‘What do you want to do?’ It’s not about playing sport, it’s about playing cricket. And that has changed now. Now kids go out and play (basketball), and it's a backyard sport."

To read Amick's full diary of events, you can read his piece on The Athletic.

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Basketball Leaves Positive Mark After NBA India Games

Tracee Jay

This preseason is one for the history books.

The Kings made their way to India for the NBA’s first-ever preseason games as the game looks to grow in the cricket-loving nation populated by over one billion people.

Kings Chairman, CEO and Governor Vivek Ranadivé, made sure the squad arrived in style.

Chartering the plane of the world-renowned rapper, Drake, the guys were plenty comfortable on their way to India!

Before the team reached their final destination in Mumbai, they set some time to see one of the Seven Wonders of the World – the Taj Mahal.

While that is an experience of a lifetime, the crew made their way to Mumbai to get ready for the preseason games against the Pacers!

After their initial practice, Buddy Hield, Bogdan Bogdonovic and Dewayne Dedmon, teamed up with NBA Cares to host a clinic for children in Mumbai.

The squad had one more practice before the historic preseason tipped-off.

Once the game began, it was off-and-running for the group!

The stadium was filled with children from Mumbai that enjoyed every minute of action, and there was plenty of it.

After the game concluded, the Kings got dressed in their Bollywood best for a Vivek organized after party!

The fun continued the next night as the Kings played once again in Mumbai!

Priyanka Chopra joined in on the fun with Kings in Mumbai as well!

After our second game, we began our journey back home.

What an unforgettable, magnificent, and marvelous experience the squad had in India. They created memories and bonds that will last them a lifetime and beyond.

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The Kings Make History and Memories in India

Hannah Taheri

As the Kings took off to Mumbai, India to make history by taking part in the first ever NBA India Games, Fox shared his thoughts and experiences exclusively with The Undefeated.

See what the Sactown speedster has been up to since the team touched down in India below:

Sept. 30 – ‘Through a long trip like this, it can only help us grow:”

The night before the team took off for Mumbai on Drake’s private plane, “Air Drake,” which he graciously lent the team, Fox shared his emotions going into one of his first International trips. “I am excited to see a different culture,” he said.

“I hope everyone can just enjoy being around each other on this trip. Learn new things together. We’re going out there to play basketball games and discover who we are as a team."

The team was in the air for almost the entirety of the first of the month. But, flying on Air Drake is much different than flying coach, as one can imagine.

“Flying on Drake’s plane, man, it was dope. It was 20 hours, but…even when we were staying up I didn’t feel like I was tired or like struggling to stay up because it felt like you was sitting in your living room.”

After arriving to the country, the Kings paid a visit to one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal. De’Aaron mentioned that seeing the famous Marble Mausoleum was one of the things her was most looking forward to about the trip.

“I think being [at the Taj Mahal] in person, it’s simply amazing. I know it means the world to Vivek [Ranadive]. For him to bring his organization here, I know he’s definitely having a blast.”

After a busy few days, the guys took a much needed day of rest ahead of their first game on Friday morning. Aside from relaxing and playing foosball with one another at the Four Seasons Hotel in Mumbai, they also enjoyed some additional sightseeing as a group.

“You know how we talk about Southern hospitality? It’s different over here. The hospitality that they show is simply amazing, and people from the streets to the hotel — I mean everybody — everybody’s going to say hello.”

Oct. 4 – “Making Basketball History”

On Friday morning, it was finally time for India’s first ever NBA match-up to take place. Though the squad fell one point short of a victory in an exhilarating game against the Pacers, Fox shared, “The atmosphere was great…I think both teams had a hell of a performance.”

Despite the loss, the guys are still eager to celebrate their historic game at a Bollywood-themed party thrown by Kings Chairman and Governor Vivek Ranadive. Above all else, No. 5. seems to be most excited to rock his new traditional Indian party attire.

“The pants fit crazy good, so I might buy more of them,” he said. Fox admitted that jet lag caused him to sleep through the NBA Welcome party on Thursday night, but he has no plans to miss this party. “I can’t miss the thing tonight, because I want to wear the suit.”

The following day, the team geared up to play their second and final NBA India game against the Pacers. Indiana went home with the win, but De’Aaron used the loss as a learning opportunity.

“We gave up way too many uncontested layups, way too many uncontested 3’s, so that’s what we pulled away from these first two games,” he reflected.

On the subject of takeaways, the National Sports Club of India’s crowd’s love for Swipa was made especially apparent during this particular game. Fox remarked, “I heard fans chanting, ‘MVP,’ MVP,’ when I was shooting free throws. I appreciate the chants, but I got a lot of work to do to get there.”

And the love was mutual, according to De’Aaron. Fox said goodbye to Mumbai with a special message to those same fans, reminding us all that experiences like these are bigger than basketball.

“Thank you,” he gushed. “I just hope that they enjoyed this and we left them with a great first impression. For those of you that probably never touched a basketball before, especially for the kids, I hope we were able to make it fun enough so that they’d want to play it themselves.”

To read the full diary entries on The Undefeated: Click here.

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De’Aaron Pens Daily Diary from India

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Kings vs Pacers Preseason Highlights 10.4.19

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Kyle Ramos

As Sacramento prepares to play in the first ever NBA basketball games held in India, Kings Chairman, CEO and Governor Vivek Ranadivé sees this as the first step towards something major.

Ranadivé penned an article for the San Jose Mercury News that painted a picture of his vision - one that dates back to a trip to his native India in 2014. He noted that a visit to a hospital with Kings General Manager Vlade Divac and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver left a lasting impact.

“Thanks to basketball, a Serbian-born player who immigrated to the United States was in India and brightening one of the darkest days of this young person’s life,” wrote Vivek. “At that moment in the Indian hospital, I witnessed first-hand how the platform we have as an NBA franchise is bigger and more meaningful than in any profession I have ever had.”

This revelation became a catalyst to eventually set in motion these historic preseason matchups between Sacramento and the Indiana Pacers. While this is a monumental development in making basketball an even more global game, Ranadivé believes that it also has the power to be a unifying force.

“Why should the Olympics be the only moment the world sets aside its differences and comes together? The platform we have as professional sports teams is a privilege and an incredible responsibility to enhance the lives of those we touch.”

These exciting contests are on the horizon and Vivek is well aware of the potential effects that these games could have off of the court.

“Tapping into the immense social network of sports fans around the globe, imagine the transformational change we can achieve collectively if we all strive to connect new cultures, experiences, and ideas.”

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Vivek Sees Bright Future Ahead for International Hoops

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Harrison Barnes India Vlog

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Harrison Barnes x India Workout 5.3.19

Official Release

The Sacramento Kings announced today that the Kings and Indiana Pacers will play in two preseason games in Mumbai in 2019, marking the first games the NBA has played in India and the first games staged in the country by a North American sports league.  The NBA India Games 2019 will take place Friday, Oct. 4 and Saturday, Oct. 5 at the NSCI Dome.

“The Sacramento Kings are proud to be playing in the first NBA games ever held in India,” said Kings Owner and Chairman Vivek Ranadivé. “As an Indian-American, it is an honor to help bring this historic moment to the country where I was raised.  The sport is experiencing tremendous growth in India and we are excited about continuing to expand the NBA’s reach to fans across the globe.  The world wants to watch basketball and India is a fast-growing new frontier."

The announcement was made today by NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum and NBA India Managing Director Yannick Colaco in Mumbai.

Tickets to the games will go on sale at a later date.  Fans can visit nbaevents.com/indiagames to register interest for information and tickets.

In addition to the games, the league and its partners will conduct interactive fan activities, Jr. NBA youth basketball programming and NBA Cares community outreach events that will bring the NBA experience to fans in Mumbai.  The NBA India Games 2019 will be produced by BookMyShow and AEG and supported by a roster of marketing and merchandising partners.  The games will air live in India, and will reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories on television, digital and social media.

The Kings, under the leadership of the NBA’s first Indian-born majority owner and Mumbai-native Vivek Ranadivé, currently features 2018 No. 2 overall draft pick Marvin Bagley III, 2017 No. 5 overall draft pick De’Aaron Fox and 2016 No. 6 overall draft pick Buddy Hield (Bahamas).  The Pacers’ roster currently features 2018 NBA All-Star Victor Oladipo, 2016 NBA All-Rookie second team member Myles Turner and 2016 No. 11 overall draft pick Domantas Sabonis (Lithuania).

More than 350 live NBA games are available each season on SONY TEN 1, SONY TEN 3 and SONY ESPN, including 78 games with Hindi commentary.  The 2018-19 season also includes five consecutive Sunday games from March 10 to April 7 that will air in primetime in India, marking the second straight year that five games will be televised in primetime.

Since 2006, more than 35 current and former NBA and WNBA players have visited India on behalf of the NBA.  The NBA office in Mumbai opened in 2011.

The NBA Academy India, an elite basketball training center in Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) for the top male and female prospects from throughout India and the first of its kind in the country, officially opened in May 2017 and builds on the NBA’s existing basketball and youth development initiatives in India, including The Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA program that has reached more than 10 million youth from 10,000 schools and trained more than 10,000 physical education instructors nationwide since its launch in 2013.

Fans in India can follow the NBA on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and download the official NBA App on iOS and Android for the latest news, updates, scores, stats, schedules, videos and more.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver:“Our inaugural NBA India Games will help further untap the enormous basketball potential in a country with a thriving sports culture and a growing, young and engaged population.  We thank the Kings and Pacers organizations for participating in this historic event.”

NBA India Managing Director Yannick Colaco:“We are proud to be the first global sports league to bring games of this scale to India.  The NBA and basketball have never been more popular in India, and fans will get to enjoy world-class showcases for our sport between two exciting teams in the Sacramento Kings and the Indiana Pacers.”

Indiana Pacers Owner Herbert Simon:“We are thrilled to be one of the first two teams to play the first-ever game in India and proud to be part of the expanding NBA worldwide footprint of our game of basketball.”

BookMyShow CEO and Founder Ashish Hemrajani:“We are pleased to partner with the NBA to bring an unmatched international basketball experience for sports enthusiasts in India.  Basketball continues to gain in popularity in India, and institutions including school and colleges are investing in improving the sport’s infrastructure.  This association not only marks an addition of a phenomenal world-class experience to BookMyShow’s array of offerings but also strengthens our leadership position as we continue to tread on the path of bringing the best out-of-home experiences for our users.”

AEG Asia President and CEO, Adam Wilkes:“We are thrilled to join the NBA and Book My Show to assist with these historic NBA games in India between the Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings.  In a country known for its passionate sports fans, Mumbai needs to prepare for the amazing experience of NBA basketball.”