NBA star Pau Gasol to visit Mumbai, Delhi

Mumbai: Two-time National Basketball Association (NBA) champion Pau Gasol, member of two-time defending champions Los Angeles Lakers and a three-time All-Star, is to visit Mumbai and Delhi from August 23 to 28. During his visit, the first time a reigning NBA champion is touring the country to conduct events on NBA`s behalf, Gasol would make appearances with the Larry O’Brien Trophy and take photos with fans in the two cities, a media release said. The NBA star would conduct clinics in Mumbai on August 26 for participants of the Mahindra NBA Challenge, the league`s first community-based basketball league in India, and in Delhi on August 28 at Father Angel School in Gautam Nagar, a missionary school that serves underprivileged communities. Gasol, the second NBA star to visit India this month following Orlando Magic centre Dwight Howard`s visit to Bangalore and Delhi earlier this month, said he had always wanted to visit the country where interest in the hoop game is growing. "I have always wanted to visit India and I am very excited to represent the Lakers and the NBA in a country where basketball is on the rise," he said. "As an international player in the NBA, I know how important it is to do my part to grow the game globally and would love to compete against a player from India in the NBA one day," he added. NBA`s international president Heidi Ueberroth felt the visits by the League`s superstars would inspire more people in the country to take up the game. "Giving youth in India the unique chance to step onto a court and learn from a reigning two-time NBA champion will inspire more athletes to play the game of basketball,” said Ueberroth. "Pau is a great ambassador for the NBA and his visit is part of our continued efforts to work with our partners to increase participation in communities throughout India," she added. Basketball Federation of India secretary general Harish Sharma saw the forthcoming visit by the NBA super stars to India as a step in popularising the game further. "Our collaboration with the NBA has generated a tremendous amount of interest for the sport in India, including the recent visit of All-Star Dwight Howard, and the arrival of NBA world champion Pau Gasol will help popularise the game even further," he said. PTI