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India Basketball League has unveiled its foundation cities ahead of the inaugural 2027 season, with NBA legends backing the country’s pro basketball dream.
News18
India’s long-awaited professional basketball revolution officially took another major step forward on Friday.
The India Basketball League, operated by ACG Sports, unveiled the eight foundation cities for the country’s first-ever professional basketball league during a glitzy reveal at the BUDx NBA House in Delhi.
And the announcement came with some serious star power.
NBA legends DeMarcus Cousins, Isiah Thomas and Vlade Divac joined IBL players on stage as the league confirmed Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh and Pune as its foundation cities.
Of those eight, six cities will feature in the inaugural season set to tip off in early 2027, while the remaining two will join as the league expands in future seasons.
Interestingly, fans themselves will help decide which six cities make the opening cut, a move the league says is central to its long-term vision.
Building Basketball From The Ground Up
For Karan Singh, the league is meant to be far more than just another sporting competition.
“The India Basketball League will be the next step of what has already been a decade-long commitment by ACG to the sport of basketball in India,” Singh said.
He highlighted the league’s recently-opened High-Performance Centre in Bengaluru, which is expected to serve as the backbone of India’s basketball talent pipeline heading into the inaugural season.
“The players who are training there are going to form the foundation of the talent that you are all going to see on court when we tip-off in 2027,” Singh added.
India’s Olympic Basketball Dream?
The IBL also carries ambitions beyond entertainment.
With basketball already among the most-watched sports at the Olympics, the league hopes to create a structured pathway for Indian players, from grassroots scouting to elite competition, with long-term targets including the FIBA Asia Cup, Asian Games and eventually the Olympics.
League commissioner Jeremy Loeliger stressed that fans will remain at the centre of the project.
“The success of any professional sporting league is dependent on its fans,” Loeliger said. “We intend to engage with them every step of the way.”
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