SACRAMENTO, CA - The Sacramento Kings basketball team hosted the first ever “Bollywood Night” on April 2. As the crowd came in sporting commemorative "Bollywood Night" t-shirts in various colors which were handed out to all attendees and munching on the Indian food that was being offered in the clubs, lounges and the Skyline restaurant, Bollywood beat Hollywood as the Kings went on to better the L.A. Lakers.
At the start of the game, the Kings players were on court wearing warm-up shirts featuring 'Kings' written in Hindi even as The event featured pop-Bollywood fusion halftime performance from Anjali Ranadivé, daughter of Kings Majority Owner Vivek Ranadivé. There were also traditional dance performances from University of California Davis student groups LashKara, a Hindi Film-Fusion group, and Sunatya, a Bharatanatyam group. Sacramento Kings Dancers, on this night were dressed in traditional Indian attire.
Vivek Ranadivé, is the majority owner of the Kings, the first NBA team majority owner of Indian origin in the sport’s history. “The ultimate power of sports is the ability to connect people across geographic, economic and cultural lines,” he said. “The Kings strive every day to provide all of our fans with a unique and lasting experience, which is why we have such strong support from the Indian community here and abroad. Together, we are catapulting basketball as the fastest growing sport in India. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and I also have plans to visit, and we hope to continue sharing the Kings experience throughout India.”
This season, the Kings have televised over 20 live games in India, launched a website in Hindi, sent the Sacramento Kings Dancers to Mumbai and signed the team’s first India-based sponsor. The NBA has conducted several minority outreach programs for many years now, including celebrations for Cinco de Mayo, Black History Month, and other such dates. Earlier this year, onJanuary 19, the Orlando Magic NBA team also hosted an India Day, in conjunction with the Indian American Chamber of Commerce (IACC).
Vivek Ranadivé, is the majority owner of the Kings, the first NBA team majority owner of Indian origin in the sport’s history. “The ultimate power of sports is the ability to connect people across geographic, economic and cultural lines,” he said. “The Kings strive every day to provide all of our fans with a unique and lasting experience, which is why we have such strong support from the Indian community here and abroad. Together, we are catapulting basketball as the fastest growing sport in India. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and I also have plans to visit, and we hope to continue sharing the Kings experience throughout India.”
This season, the Kings have televised over 20 live games in India, launched a website in Hindi, sent the Sacramento Kings Dancers to Mumbai and signed the team’s first India-based sponsor. The NBA has conducted several minority outreach programs for many years now, including celebrations for Cinco de Mayo, Black History Month, and other such dates. Earlier this year, onJanuary 19, the Orlando Magic NBA team also hosted an India Day, in conjunction with the Indian American Chamber of Commerce (IACC).
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