NBA jr. program in India reaches more than 7 lakh youth

Mumbai: Jr. NBA program, a comprehensive school-based youth basketball programme, has reached more than 7.5 lakh youth in 1,000 schools since its launch last year and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on Tuesday said he was excited to see the impact of the international basketball development programmes.

"Our goal is to provide children in India with the opportunity to play and enjoy basketball, and I thank the Reliance Foundation for supporting our efforts to grow the game across the country," Silver said at a skills clinic here.

NBA team Sacramento Kings' owner Vivek Ranadive, who was also present at the clinic said, "the way the Jr. NBA program is progressing, the day isn't far when an Indian boy or girl will be playing in the NBA or WNBA."

The goal of the programme is to reach one million youth and train 2,000 coaches and physical education instructors across India by 2016. "Reliance Foundation is committed to developing multiple sports at the grassroots level. We are delighted that the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA program got off to an exciting start, by reaching out to hundreds of thousands of children in the very first year itself and providing them opportunities to discover and experience the fun and techniques of basketball," Reliance Foundation Chair Nita Ambani said.