Vivek Ranadive wants to make his Sacramento Kings the face of NBA basketball in both India and China.
The first Indian American to own an NBA franchise bought the Kings for $347 million dollars last year, giving up his minority stake in the Golden State Warriors, which he acquired in 2010.
The Kings recently held a Bollywood themed night and the players wore jerseys with “Kings” written in Hindi.
“The Kings believe in enhancing the fan experience by expanding the team’s brand in India and China. It was a proud moment as an Indian-American owner to share the Indian culture with Kings. It was basically an invitation to the Indian community worldwide,” said Ranadive to DNA.
The Kings this year televised over 20 live games in India and even have a website in Hindi.
He sees basketball gaining in popularity in his native country.
“There are actually some Indian players in the National Collegiate Athletic Association that NBA scouts have already started looking at. And I fully expect to see an Indian player join the NBA within the next five years.”
You can read about how he came to own a basketball team in DNA.
