NBA 3x3 Jam to begin today

The 2013 edition of the NBA Jam 3x3 basketball will commence at the Muffakham Jah College in Hyderabad on Wednesday. Jam, an inter-college 3x3 basketball tournament packaged with both on-court and off-court entertainment in the lines of the NBA Championship, will be held in various cities across the country, with the national-level final scheduled to be held in Mumbai on September 29.

The three-day Hyderabad leg of the tournament will feature a total of 120 teams in boys and girls categories. The tournament will be held in two age division — 16 to 18 and 19 to 23.

“The response we received last year in Hyderabad was tremendous. And hence, there were a lot of request for entries this time,” said Akash Jain, senior director (business development and partnerships) of NBA India.

“We would be showcasing the Jam as a sport- c u m- e n t e r t a i n me n t package. The NBA is a very successful marketing product. Our endeavour would be to give the players and the fans a similar package,” he added.

“For the national finals in Mumbai, NBA legends like Horace Grant, Ron Harper and Peja Stojakovic would come down to play a match against the champions. A dance team of the Boston Celtics will also be there to entertain the fans,” Jain said.

As part of the Jam, the band Junkyard Groove and Anish Sood would perform at the venue on Friday while Bombay Bassment and Bandish Project DJ are slated to perform their jigs on Saturday.

Talking on the interest in basketball and more specifically NBA in Hyderabad, Jain said: “Hyderabad is among the top three cities in India when it comes to TV viewership of NBA. In terms of the number of followers in the social media, the city features in top five. So it is an important and growing market. ”