Sport Industry Group

NBA TO LAUNCH BASKETBALL WEEK IN UK- 2 Sep 2010 00:00:00

The NBA has launched an initiative called  ‘Basketball Week’ in a bid to boost participation and raise awareness of the game ahead of the two regular-season games taking place at The O2 in March.

‘Basketball Week’ will bring together the key entities in the UK basketball community – England Basketball, the British Basketball League, and British Basketball – and provide fans of all ages with the chance to take place in activities in the week building up to the games in London.



The event will include 3-on-3 competitions, basketball clinics, and a variety of grassroots and interactive events for fans.

The event will tip off on 25th February and culminate at The O2 on 5th March, with activities taking place in London, Manchester, and Newcastle, with other locations that will be announced at a later date. 



Sophie Goldschmidt, Senior Vice President of NBA Europe said: ‘Basketball Week will build awareness for the game, create additional participation opportunities for fans, and help all of the key basketball entities across the UK as we get closer to the 2012 Olympics.’



The NBA’s increasing presence in the UK has helped basketball reach higher levels of popularity with participation doubling over the past four years.  

Over the last two years, more than 45,000 people have participated in NBA grassroots events in the UK.

The 'Basketball Week' of activity will lead up to the New Jersey Nets taking on the Toronto Raptors in two back to back regular season games at The O2 – the first time the NBA has hosted a season match outside of America.

Ticket have gone on sale  for the matches and Sport Industry TV caught up with New Jersey Nets guard and former NBA All-Star Devin Harris at The O2 to see if he was looking forward to playing in London. Click here to see the video.