WWE expanding into 2nd biggest country in world

World Wrestling Entertainment is expanding into the second most populous country in the world. Continue reading →

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May 24, 2011, 8:17 am

IMG looking to start pro basketball league in India

Despite boasting the world’s second-largest population, India’s basketball pedigree is unimpressive: The country has sent no players to the NBA, and the one time its team qualified for the Olympics, it finished in last. To change that, IMG Worldwide has hired Bobby Sharma, vice president of the NBA’s Development League, who will oversee the sports-marketing firm’s basketball efforts and establish a pro league in India. “The potential for it seems limitless,” says Mr. Sharma, who’s already intrigued by Satnam Singh Bhamara, a 14-year-old, Indian-born 7-footer training at the IMG academy in Bradenton, Fla. “There’s not a history of elite Indian basketball players, which is why you see so much excitement about him.” — Wall Street Journal

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December 15, 2010, 8:23 am

NBA will be fantastic on India TV

The National Basketball Association signed multiyear deals with media company Taj Television and a company majority-owned by Sony Corp to broadcast games in India, the U.S. sports league said on Thursday. Financial terms of the deals with Taj Television and Multi Screen Media Private Ltd were not disclosed, but they bring broadcasts back to a growing market where NBA games were previously aired by ESPN Star Sports, whose deal expired after last season. “Their local expertise will help connect the NBA to its growing fan base in India,” Heidi Ueberroth, NBA international chief, said in a statement about the two new partners. Indian fans will be able to watch a record number of live games as a result of the deals, which are part of the NBA’s expansion in a country with 1.2 billion people and a fast-growing middle class. — NY Times

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December 3, 2010, 7:22 am

Video of India hoops prodigy

Satnam Singh, the 7’0″ 250 lb center from India has the eyes of the NBA. Not much video is out of him, you can catch your first view of Singh in the propaganda video from IMG Academies in Florida.

Highlights:
1:01 drives for a layup
1:09 is in the weight room.

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November 19, 2010, 7:06 am

NBA’s next great star is 14 from India?

In a country of 1.3 billion people, 7-foot, 250-pound Satnam Singh Bhamar has become a beacon for basketball hope. At age 14.  “Satnam could one day do the same thing for India that Yao Ming did in China — put the spotlight on basketball through an entire country,” said Troy Justice, the NBA Director of Basketball Operations in India who has watched him play many times. “It really could be something.” Despite the league’s already-strong global flavor today — there are 84 international players from 38 different countries or territories — there never has been a player from India on an NBA roster. Satnam may well be the first a few years from now, opening the door to a monstrous but untapped market. Satnam came to the United States for the first time six weeks ago, one of 29 student athletes (both male and female in three different sports) from India who will train at the renowned IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla, as part of a new scholarship program to promote, develop and manage sports and entertainment in that country. — Fan House

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November 11, 2010, 9:08 am

Pau Gasol brings Lakers championship trophy to India

Another special feature of Pau Gasol’s visit to India was that he brought along the Larry O’Brien NBA Championship trophy, which he won with the Lakers for the second year running this past June. This was the first time that the trophy was brought to Indian soil, and it garnered almost as much attention as the superstar player himself. Gasol unveiled it during his clinics in Mumbai and New Delhi much to the delight of the young NBA fans in the crowds. — Slam

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September 2, 2010, 8:00 am