The National Basketball Association (NBA), in collaboration with pharmaceutical solutions company ACG and the Basketball Federation of India (BFI), announced the launch of India’s school-based basketball programme, the ACG Jr. NBA in Mumbai today.

(From left to right  Rajah Chaudhry, NBA Asia strategy head and NBA India country head; Kulvinder Singh, secretary general, Government of India; Aadhav Arjuna, president, BFI; Alex Robertson, chief marketing officer, ACG and Rahul Vira, CEO, Skechers)

Featuring a nationwide three-on-three basketball tournament for under-14 players, the initiative will engage young athletes from schools nationwide. 

Supported by Skechers, the program’s official kit partner, it aims to spotlight emerging talent and foster youth development across all levels of the game. 

The collaboration aims to boost youth basketball development, expand elite talent identification, and offer new opportunities for players, coaches, and referees nationwide. Building on the NBA-ACG partnership from the ACG-NBA Jump talent search, this marks BFI's first role as a partner in the ACG Jr. NBA program.

The program will kick off on 24 September, with tournaments in cities such as Chennai and Mumbai. 

On the sidelines of this announcement, Manifest chatted with Rajah Chaudhry, strategy head, NBA Asia and country head, NBA India, to discuss the league's mission to elevate youth talent through strategic partnerships, how the collaboration with BFI will solidify NBA’s presence in the country and their marketing strategies designed to keep their brand value at the forefront of Indian consumers' minds.

Edited excerpts: 

How will this partnership with the Basketball Federation of India enhance NBA India's brand appeal and help scale its presence?

We've had a strong relationship with BFI for a long time, discussing ways to improve India's basketball ecosystem. It's been an ongoing conversation, and we're excited about this program as it formalises our partnership with BFI. We're also exploring other initiatives to support the ecosystem further. The relationship we’ve built with BFI is encouraging, and we're eager to grow basketball in India. Our goal is to make it the country's second most popular sport, which can only happen with support from partners like BFI.

How will NBA India leverage its partnership with ACG and Skechers to increase brand awareness, drive engagement, and grow its fan base in India, while also promoting these brands' products uniquely and compellingly?

This program is primarily focused on youth development, rather than promoting the broader NBA business. It's really about nurturing young talent in the country, so our efforts will centre on promoting the program itself. We're aiming to take it nationwide, ensuring schools across India can participate. The core of our promotion will be around expanding the program's reach and engaging students from across the country. ACG will serve as the presenting partner for the program's official kit, alongside Skechers.

The Jr. NBA program is in its 11th year, how has it grown over the years and what new measures are you implementing for the same?

Historically, we've reached over 14 million kids across the country, across 35 different cities. And each year we've tried to learn and develop the program. The main difference this year is that we have tried to go bigger nationwide with the support of the BFI, ACG, and Skechers, and we've tried to introduce a more competitive play element. So traditionally, it's been more participation-based. What we've realised is we want to encourage that participation, but we want to allow for more competitive play within that participation. That's the change we're making. We're piloting this league-based format across six cities, which will be the points of the programs in future years. We hope to expand that across more than six cities as well.

Finally, what marketing strategy is NBA India using to boost brand awareness, and how has partnering with Ranveer Singh as a brand ambassador contributed to this effort?

Our marketing strategy focuses on connecting with fans and youth where they are, which is increasingly on their mobile phones in today’s digital world. Therefore, our approach is very digital-first. We aim to engage with fans through various digital platforms and collaborate with the right partners. Recognising that we can’t reach everyone on our own, we work with corporate partners and influencers to expand our audience. Our partnership with Ranveer Singh has been instrumental in broadening basketball’s appeal, as he is a passionate advocate for the sport. We will continue to work with influencers who are genuinely interested in basketball, maintaining authenticity as a core aspect of our marketing efforts.