NBA JAM 2013 tips off in Mumbai, will be held between September 26-28

NBA Legends Peja Stojakovic, Ron Harper and Horace Grant with Sacramento Kings cheerleading team

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Sony SIX will tip off NBA Jam Mumbai leg from Sept. 26-28 at St. Stanislaus School at Bandra. NBA JAM Mumbai stop will be graced by the presence of NBA Legends Horace Grant, Ron Harper and Peja Stojakovic, who collectively have won 10 NBA Championships. The Sacramento Kings Dance team, New York Knicks Slam Dunk team and Miami Heat Mascot will showcase their talent and enthrall the audience.

Grant won three consecutive NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls in 1991-1993 and later won his fourth title with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000-2001. Known for his defense and rebounding, Grant was named to the All-Defensive Second Team four times. Harper has won five NBA Championships including three as a member of the Bulls from 1996-1998 and later won two titles with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000-2001. Stojakovic won a championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2010 and was a three-time All-Star as a member of the Sacramento Kings, who are now owned by Vivek Ranadive, the first Indian to be a majority owner of an NBA team. He made the All-NBA Second Team in 2003-04 averaging 24.2 points per game and finished his 13-year career sixth all-time in three-pointers made.

NBA Jam features the largest 3-on-3 basketball tournament ever staged in India with stops at Hyderabad, Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai with 500 teams expected to participate; performances from top musical artists and well-known DJs each day; and a variety of on and off the court activities for fans. The free interactive travelling event will feature fast paced 3-on-3 inter-college basketball action and entertainment to bring an unprecedented NBA experience to fans in Mumbai including performances by leading local musical artistes.

More than 100 teams and 450 players will compete in Mumbai from various leading colleges including Thakur College, NMIMS and Sofia College across two age divisions for men and women, 16-18 and 19-23 years old. A women’s division has been introduced for the first time this year.

The Mumbai leg will also witness gripping performances by leading musical talents – The Color Compound and Lost Stories on Sept 27 and Something Relevant and DJ Ajit on Sept 28.

The winners of the 3-on-3 tournament in Mumbai will compete in a National Finals on Sept. 29 to be held at Mehboob Studios, Mumbai. The finals will be televised on SONY SIX.

The national winners will have a chance to play 3-on-3 against the NBA Legends. In addition, the National Finals for the adidas Hoopstars three-point contest will be held with the National Champion receiving an opportunity to shoot against Stojakovic.

The NBA and SONY SIX, the league’s broadcast partner in India, announced plans for NBA Jam in July at a press conference in Mumbai, attended by two-time NBA Champion Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat. SONY SIX will create content around each event stop, integrating celebrities from the network’s top shows.

The NBA and SONY SIX have also partnered with adidas, Sprite, Indiatimes.com, and the Basketball Federation of India for the event. As part of NBA Jam, the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy was on display for fans at adidas stores in Mumbai – Pheonix Lower Parel and Linkers-Linking Road on Sept. 24-25. Fans that visited these adidas stores had the opportunity to enter a sweepstakes and win a chance to meet one of the NBA legends in Mumbai.

As the exclusive online partner for NBA Jam, Indiatimes.com will drive registration for the event and host all content surrounding the National Finals in Mumbai. Indiatimes.com is also setting up a photo zone at the venue which allows fans to take pictures with their favorite NBA players.

NBA Jam basketball activities will also include basketball clinics, three-point contests, and skills challenges. A technology boutique will feature social media fan integration and an NBA photo and video wall. Fans that use #NBAJam on Twitter and Instagram will get a chance to have their tweets and photos featured on the NBA Jam main video screen and win prizes. A gaming zone will be created in which fans have the opportunity to compete in an NBA2K13 video game tournament on PlayStation PS3 gaming consoles.

During the National Finals, fans will enjoy the first-ever live NBA experience in India. The players will compete in a small scale NBA arena with an emcee, lights, sound, video and a variety of on-court entertainment.