First NBA Match Hosted in India

The other night I attended the first ever NBA match to be hosted in India.  It was a brilliant evening with my wife and Mother-in-Law, especially given the fact that the NBA were successfully able to create the North American professional basketball experience right here in Mumbai.

I’m thrilled that this event took place and that I could experience it live. As a quick recap, I’ve included some thoughts below on what was ‘Great’ and ‘What Could Have Been Better.’

The Great

It Happened: Having worked in sports in India for the past 10 years, I have a sense of the challenges companies go through when trying to organize a high profile sporting event in the country.  The fact that the NBA pulled it off with no major issues (at least ones the public is aware of) is a massive win for everyone involved with the project.

Electric Atmosphere: From the high intensity music, to the on-court entertainment, to the continuous fan engagement activities, I can comfortably say that everyone who attended the match was entertained throughout the 2.5 hours.

A-List Appearances: Priyanka Chopra, Faran Akhtar, Parineeti Chopra, Larry Bird, Russell Peters, etc… all sitting court-side definitely created the Staples Center LA Lakers feel and gave the spectators and TV viewers something to watch during any slow moments of the match.

Could Have Been Better

The Match: While there were a number of three pointers, a few slam dunks and even an alley oop, it never really felt like either team was taking the match too seriously. This created more of a ‘showcase’ type feel vs competitive match experience for the viewers – something the NBA need to look at before hosting another high profile basketball event in the country as Indians are more attracted to the drama and emotions that are associated with true competition.

The Pricing: The ticket prices for this match were extremely high which made it difficult for about 99% of the population of Mumbai to even consider attending the game.  It’s hard to know whether or not this strategy succeeded or failed but I can say that I did see a surprising amount of empty seats and a number of sponsor employees filling up other seats which means that all tickets couldn’t not have been sold.

The Concessions: As with most live Indian sports viewing experiences, the concessions were atrocious. It was impossible to get food, drinks, etc… without waiting in a long queue, stressing out and missing a portion of the match.  This needs to get better as the purchase and consumption of food and drink is a vital part of the overall live sports experience and a big revenue driver for the organizers if done well.

I will refrain from going into the cliched and righteous monologue about how the NBA should have spent this money on building basketball courts in inner cities across India as this is a myopic and uninformed view of how a professional sports league should expand into an emerging market. 

Thank you NBA for the experience and I hope that this event is able to stimulate an increased investment in the development of basketball at the grassroots level so that one day we can see the court filled with world class Indian players.