Sale of the Sacramento Kings to benefit Indian Basketball?

The NBA is debating the pros and cons of selling the franchise of Sacramento Kings to either of the two competitors bidding for it.

One group led by Christopher R. Hansen, a hedge fund manager, and Steven A. Ballmer, the chief executive of Microsoft, probably have the upper hand. They had a tentative agreement to buy 65 percent of the team from the Maloof family and approval to build a new arena in Seattle, where the group plans to move the team.

The rival group, consisting of the founder of 24-Hour Fitness, Mark S. Mastrov, and Paul E. Jacobs, the chief executive of Qualcomm, has a similar offer, and approval to build a new arena in Sacramento.

This group also has Vivek Ranadive, a software businessman from Silicon Valley and vice chairman of the Golden State Warriors, who is to become the face of the Sacramento Kings if this group wins. Ranadive plans to promote the NBA in India and to Indians living in the United States.

“I believe basketball will be the global sport of the 21st century because it can be played by young and old, boys and girls, indoors or outdoors, rich or poor,” Ranadive said in an interview. “Independent of whether the Kings bid succeeds or not, I’m very committed to making it the No. 2 sport in India.”

If his group wins, Ranadive is expected to become the first majority owner of Indian descent in the N.B.A.