Howdy, basketball! Modi, Trump find common ground in NBA

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, seem to have found another mutual interest - NBA.

Published : Sep 23, 2019 20:32 IST , Mumbai

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, share a light moment during the 'Howdy Modi' event in Houston on Sunday.
India Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, share a light moment during the 'Howdy Modi' event in Houston on Sunday.
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India Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, share a light moment during the 'Howdy Modi' event in Houston on Sunday.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, seem to have found another mutual interest - NBA.

NBA, which stands for National Basketball Association, is the top sporting league in the USA and one of the biggest sporting events in the world. And India will get its first taste of NBA action when the Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers take to the court in Mumbai next week. The two sides will play pre-season matches in the city on October 4 and 5.

RELATED| NBA giants Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers to play in India for the first time

Speaking at the ‘Howdy Modi’ event in Houston, Trump said NBA will be one of America’s best exports to India. ”...very soon, India will have access to another world class American product- NBA basketball. Wow, sounds good. Next week, thousands of people will gather in Mumbai to watch the first ever, NBA basketball game in India,” Trump said.

The US President then went on to say he might even make a surprise appearance. “Am I invited Mr Prime Minister? I may come, be careful, I may come,” he said.

- Organisers confident of good show -

The first NBA game will be played on October 4, and the match is reserved for over 3,000 youth under the Reliance Foundation Junior Programme. The game on the following day is open to spectators. The organisers say the tickets were sold in quick time and are expecting a full house.

“Through the integrated #NBAInMyBackyard campaign, we will connect with fans...,” Diane Gouta, Vice President, Global Business Operations, NBA, told PTI on Monday.

“As part of the campaign, the series of on-ground activations will include NBA iconography projection on the Gateway of India on September 28 and 29, from October 1 to 3, India’s first-ever floating court will be unveiled 200 meters from the pier near Bandra-Worli Sea Link.

“Top Graffiti artists will paint the walls of Mumbai to celebrate the historic event and select Hip-Hop artists will compose an original soundtrack representing the campaign and perform live at select Social Offline lounges on Game days,” added Gouta.

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