MUMBAI: The fastest growing urban team sport in the world, 3x3 Basketball comes to India for the first time with 3BL – 3x3 Pro Basketball League. 3BL is an intellectual property of YKBK Enterprise that has been granted the exclusive rights contract from FIBA 3x3 for the Indian subcontinent, making it the first ever FIBA recognised basketball league in India.
3x3 Basketball is a 10-minute high speed basketball tournament and it officially became an Olympic sport in June 2017. It will be introduced in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The inaugural season of 3BL in India, featuring 12 teams with international and Indian sensations like Amjyot Singh, Palpreet Singh Brar and international basketball sensations like Bikramjit Gill, Inderbir Singh Gill, Leandro Lima and many more, will be played in six cities – Mumbai, Delhi, Aizawl, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore. The winners of the tournament(s) will get to represent India at the FIBA World Tour(s).
3BL chief of marketing and business development Sudhir Vashist told Indiantelevision.com, “We have visibility of seven seasons. However, that does not mean that we have FIBA rights for seven years, we have the FIBA rights perpetually. We are the exclusive partner of FIBA for lifetime for 3BL in the Indian sub-continent. We have a media budget of close to around Rs 30 crore for the first season.”
To bring visibility to the league YKBK Enterprise is in talks with some of the leading broadcasters and intends to go strong on the digital front. Season one of the league will start from 9 June 2018 in Delhi and will culminate in Mumbai in August 2018 after a three month run. Tryouts for the league begin in May this year.
The 12 teams in season one are Delhi Hoopers, Chandigarh Beasts, Jaipur Regals, Aizwal Legends, Kolkata Warriors, Ahemdabad Wingers, Bangalore Machas, Goa Snipers, Kochi Knights, Hyderabad Ballers, Chennai Icons and Mumbai Hustlers.
“The culture of basketball is defined by three things - urban, youth and hip-hop. These three things are very much digital friendly. Almost 25 per cent of the total budget is kept for digital. One of the biggest international basketball and street brand is already sold to the idea of 3BL and will be riding on us to launch in India”, Vashist added.
“Basketball has a fascinating story in India. Till a few years ago, most people didn’t know anything about 3x3 Basketball and today it poses a serious opportunity,” said 3BL - 3x3 Pro Basketball League league commissioner Rohit Bakshi. “Our aim is to create a new fan base for basketball in India by promoting the 3x3 Basketball at a grassroots level and through wider outreach plans for viewers and players both.”
3BL chairman Yoshia Kato said, “Seeing the performance of Indian origin players in the sport, we decided to start the first ever FIBA 3x3 recognised basketball league in India. We plan to make a serious impact on the growth of this sport in the country.”
“As the sporting landscape of our country changes and evolves, this short action-packed format will revolutionise basketball in India. It is definitely going to be a very appealing sport for both brands and audiences,” Vashist added.
“This sport is attractive to people since they can watch it in lesser time and still get as much entertainment and action as they do from longer format sports,” said 3BL entertainment director Vivek Krishna. “3x3 Basketball is a highly engaging form of the beautiful game which will charm India, as it has charmed 144 other countries.”
“India being a very young country, with half of its population under 25 years of age, 3x3 Basketball is definitely going to be very appealing for audiences here,” said FIBA3x3 senior communications manager Julien Debove. “I’m excited to explore the vast land of opportunities that India presents with 3BL.”
This is the first time ever that India will be hosting the World Tour, organised and marketed by YKBK Enterprise.
Also Read :
Mairu Gupta and the art of building the NBA in India
Social media most significant for snackable content: NBA India MD
