NBA India Games 2019: Mumbai-born Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive touts basketball to become India's second-favourite sport

The NBA will be making its India debut in Mumbai on Friday. It will be for the first time that teams from a North American sports league will be playing in India. So it’s only apt that the first team to play in India from NBA belonged to an Indian-born American.

The Sacramento Kings, who are owned by software entrepreneur Vivek Ranadive, will take on the Indiana Pacers in two games on 4 and 5 October at Dome NSCI in the maximum city, and the 61-year-old Ranadive is “super excited” to see his team playing in the city of his origin.

“I am a Mumbaikar and I am back in the city of my birth, my home town and to have a real pre-season game for my Sacramento Kings against the Indiana Pacers is one of the most exciting days in my life,” said former Golden State Warriors co-owner told media ahead of the matches.

But the decision to bring NBA teams so far for pre-season games is not just driven by emotions, and Ranadive is confident that basketball will go onto become the second most popular sport in India.

“I believe basketball will be the second most popular sport in this country. Of course, cricket is the national pass time and it’ll be hard to replace in the land of (Sachin) Tendulkar and (MAK) Pataudi but basketball and India are meant to be together. This is a game that can be played indoors, outdoors, by boys and girls, in cities and villages, by rich and poor.”

The Kings’ owner added that continuous presence of NBA teams in India would also uplift Indian ballers.

“I hope this is the first step in a long journey. I fully expect these games will continue and in 10 years we will have multiple players coming from India and making it to the NBA system."

But for now, all the focus is on the upcoming pre-season games and Ranadive wants Mumbai to back its returning-son and his team.

“I expect every Mumbaikar to be cheering for Sacramento Kings. The Indiana Pacers owner Hebert Simon is a good friend, so I would like people to cheer for his team but I hope the loudest cheer is for my team.”