Pencil in your calendars: NBA preseason likely heading to India in 2019

It's the news we've been waiting to hear for years, at least since the NBA's first-ever India-born owner Vivek Ranadive bought the Sacramento Kings and immediately went into overdrive to lure the Indian basketball market. Ranadive has wanted to bring an NBA preseason game to India since 2013, and while the NBA made its continuing inroads in China once again this week, the league finally dropped a hint that India could be next.

Reporting from the NBA China Games in Shenzhen, ESPN's Tim MacMahon tweeted that the NBA will hold 2019 preseason games in Japan (two cities), Dubai, and India. Ranadive's Sacramento Kings are expected to participate in the Dubai/India games. According to Scott Agnes, a Pacers reporter for the Athletic, the Indiana Pacers have been scouting locations in Dubai and India and will be the Kings' likely opponents in these games.

If true, this news will confirm the rumours that have been swirling stronger in Indian basketball since NBA's Commissioner Adam Silver announced in February that the league plans to bring a preseason game to India next year.

Now that the news has leaked, the next twelve months will probably be filled with details of host cities in India preparing for this big event. As the country's financial capital, Mumbai have the lead in the race here. But Bengaluru has a strong international culture and India's best-used basketball arena, the Sree Kanteerava Stadium. A wildcard is the NBA's Academy in Greater Noida, which is an inconvenient location for such a big event, but could be something the NBA might settle for to have the game tighter under their reigns.

For now, Indian fans can start prepping to jump on the Kings or Pacers bandwagons in advance for the game, especially since they are two of the league's lesser-known squads globally. My advice for those wanting to take the lead in merchandising? Find the Sim Bhullar Kings jersey, honouring the big man who earned his 15 seconds of fame by becoming the first player of Indian-origin to play in the NBA. Or, if you'd rather pick the Pacers, customise an Indiana jersey so it just reads 'Indian' in the front. I'm sure Reggie Miller would be proud.

Eight Indian coaches selected to attend NBA China Games in Shanghai and Shenzhen

The 2018 NBA preseason is underway, and per their annual tradition, the NBA will be holding two exhibition games in China this month. The 2018 NBA China Games will feature back to back matchups between the Philadelphia 76ers and Dallas Mavericks in Shanghai (October 5) and Shenzhen (October 8). Like every year, these games provide an amazing opportunity for NBA to feed their growing popularity among Chinese fans.

This year, the NBA is lending out a hand to some basketball lovers in India, too.

Eight Indian coaches from around the country, based on their performances at the various Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA programme events this year, have been selected to travel to China to attend the NBA China Games. The coaches will take part in the NBA Fan Day event in Shanghai on October 4 and then attend the two games in Shanghai and Shenzhen later in the week.

Indian coaches travelling to China for this programme include Jose Sebastian (Thiruvanathapuram), Shabana Patel (Mumbai), Ravi Kumar (Bengaluru), Ganesh Prabhu (Chennai), Ishwar (New Delhi), Tua Ghatak (Kolkata), Ibrahim Rose Khan (Hyderabad), and Ravinder Kaur (Punjab).

"It was quite unexpected and took me by surprise," said Sebastian to The New Indian Express. "I think this is a reward for all the hard work I have put in over the years. We will be watching two games of the highest standard and also meeting with coaches from across the globe -- all valuable experiences that I can put to good use in my coaching."

Even though its just the preseason, the coaches will be hoping to relish some top-notch NBA action and glean from coaches like Brett Brown and Rick Carlisle on the sidelines. Plus, there are so many more questions to consider before the start of the NBA season from the two participating teams. Will Embiid have social media access in China? Can Fultz shoot again? Does Simmons want to shoot? Is Nowitzki going to play? Will Doncic showcase his potential for being the rookie of the year?