A stadium full of boys and girls, all in the age of 10 to 16 years were at their sporting best as they cheered for their favourite team during the historic first ever NBA game in India between Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings at the NSCI Dome, in Mumbai today.

The children, representing Reliance Foundation Junior NBA program, were the special invitees by Mrs. Nita Ambani as part of Reliance Foundation’s celebration of a successful 6 years partnership with NBA in India. It was a unique opportunity presented to these children to be part of the game and witness the NBA magic live from the courtside.

Over the years, Reliance Foundation Junior NBA has impacted 11 million children and trained 10,000 coaches in 34 cities of 20 Indian states.

Says Mrs. Nita Ambani, Chairperson, Reliance Foundation, “It’s my dream to see India become a truly multi-sport nation. Reliance Foundation is excited to present the first ever NBA game in India and share our joy of celebration of 6 years of NBA partnership with these wonderful and budding basketballers from our Junior NBA program. Promoting education and sports in children is my mission and I hope to see India on the global sports pinnacle.”

On the occasion, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver acknowledged the contribution of Reliance Foundation in promoting basketball in India by presenting the ‘first’ Match Ball to Mrs. Nita Ambani as a symbol of NBA coming to India to play two pre-season games. Mrs. Ambani and Adam Silver were joined by players, Myles Turner of Indiana Pacers and De’Aaron Fox of Sacramento Kings, to hand over the Match Ball to NBA game officials symbolizing the start of the first NBA game in India.

About Reliance Foundation:

Reliance Foundation (RF), the philanthropic arm of Reliance Industries Limited, aims to play a catalytic role in addressing the nation’s development challenges through innovative and sustainable solutions. Led by Founder and Chairperson Smt. Nita Ambani, RF is relentlessly working towards facilitating transformative changes to ensure overall well-being and higher quality of life for all. Among India’s largest social initiatives, RF is focused on addressing the nation’s development challenges in areas of Rural Transformation, Health, Education, Sports for Development, Disaster Response, Urban Renewal, and Arts, Culture and Heritage. Reliance Foundation has touched the lives of more than 29 million people across India, in more than 18,000 villages and several urban locations.

About the NBA:

The NBA is a global sports and media business built around four professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, the NBA G League and the NBA 2K League. The NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 50 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 100,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents. NBA rosters at the start of the 2018-19 season featured 108 international players from 42 countries and territories. NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass. The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with 1.6 billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms. Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes

Registered Office:
Reliance Corporate Park
5 TTC Industrial Area, Thane-Belapur Road,
Ghansoli, Navi Mumbai - 400701, Maharashtra
CIN: U85110MH2010NPL207270

Toll Free Number:
1800 419 8800

Email:
contactus@reliancefoundation.org

Internet:
www.reliancefoundation.org