NBA star Ray Allen visits India; to attend IPL 2023 match

The National Basketball Association (NBA) on Friday announced that two-time NBA champion and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame member Ray Allen is visiting India from May 12 to 16 as part of the league's continued efforts to grow the game of basketball in the country.

Allen will first visit Mumbai, where he will attend a live T20 cricket match and make a guest appearance on JioCinema's cricket show. On May 15, Allen will visit NBA Academy India, an elite basketball training center that was supported in prior years by ACG for the top prospects from throughout India.

It is the first of its kind in the country, in Delhi National Capital Region (NCR), where he will lead a basketball clinic for 50 students from the NBA Basketball School programs in India and train with NBA Academy India prospects.

"I'm excited to make this trip to India to experience the country's local sporting culture," said Allen. "The NBA has contributed so much to the growth of basketball in India, and I look forward to playing a part in their continued efforts to grow the game."

A 6'5" shooting guard, Allen was drafted No. 5 overall in the 1996 NBA Draft and went on to win two NBA championships during his 18-year career, with the Boston Celtics in 2008 and with the Miami Heat in 2012.

The 10-time NBA All-Star retired as the all-time leader in three-point field goals before the Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry surpassed his record in 2021. Allen was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018 and was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team prior to the 2021-22 season.

NBA Basketball School and NBA Academy India are part of the NBA's broader basketball development initiatives in India that provide a predictable pathway for players to learn the game and maximize their potential.

NBA Basketball School, a network of tuition-based basketball development programs open to male and female players from outside the U.S. ages 6 to 18, launched in India in 2017.

There are currently 40 NBA Basketball School programs across 27 locations in eight cities in India. NBA Academy India, which opened in 2017, has seen 20 male and female participants commit to NCAA Division I schools and junior colleges in the U.S. or sign professional contracts.

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