Delhi to Host Inaugural Mahindra NBA Challenge National Championship

The third season of the Mahindra NBA Challenge ' the largest, multi-city, community-based basketball league in India ' will tip off its Delhi leg on March 16, the National Basketball Association (NBA), Mahindra, and the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) jointly announced today.

The Delhi leg of the Mahindra NBA Challenge will feature a new player development program called Generation adidas. Forty up and coming players from the boys and girls U 13 and U 16 divisions will be selected to participate in two exclusive Generation adidas Clinics during the season in Delhi (14th and 26th April). The top eight players will be selected from the clinics and will receive one year of specialized training and adidas basketball gear. Generation adidas will launch in each subsequent city with a goal of identifying and nurturing the next generation of basketball talent across the country.

For the first time, the Mahindra NBA Challenge will feature a National Championship which will take place in Delhi Oct. 4-7, 2012. The winning teams from the Senior and Under 18 divisions, for both Men and Women, in each city will travel to Delhi to compete for the championship and train with an NBA Legend.

Season three of the Mahindra NBA Challenge is taking place in five cities. The program tipped off in Mumbai in November, and following the Delhi stop, will be held in Kochi for the first time, Bangalore and Ludhiana.

The program has rapidly expanded since its introduction in 2009 with the number of teams participating doubling in season two. The program has helped to identify and develop top basketball talent, with the Indian National Team extending training camp invites to 20 male and female players that participated in the Mahindra NBA Challenge.

The five-city league features eight divisions total for males and females: sub-junior for ages 12 to 13, youth for ages 14 to16, junior for ages 16 to 18 and adults ages 19 and over

adidas is the official outfitter for the Mahindra NBA Challenge, and, for the first time, will provide a special commemorative jersey to playoff teams in each city as well as unique national championship uniforms for teams that qualify. Spalding serves as the program's official equipment supplier.

The Mahindra NBA Challenge not only involves competitive games, but also provides opportunities for skill development with more than 200 total player and coaching clinics conducted to date. Additionally, six different NBA All-Stars and NBA/WNBA Legends have traveled to India over the past two seasons to run clinics for participants.