India Rising Basketball team Fundraiser for ESPN Tournament
India Rising is one of 64 teams competing in “The Basketball Tournament” (TBT). The TBT is a single-elimination, $1 million, winner-take-all tournament on ESPN, watched by over 15M people globally.
On July 22, 2022, 10 Indian-origin athletes from around the globe will make history by competing in the highest stakes basketball tournament in the world for $1 million dollars on ESPN.
[youtube]https://youtu.be/bISHU_5L31E[/youtube]
The historic All-Star team represents a diverse pool from all corners of the world, with experience from the NBA, G League, NBL (England, Australia), USports (Canada), 3x3 Leagues, and multiple FIBA national teams.
India Rising needs to raise $45K by May 31, 2022 in order to participate in “The Basketball Tournament” (TBT) on ESPN.
Your contributions will cover (1) flights, (2) hotels, (3) transportation, (4) camera equipment, and (5) team gear.
THE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT on @ ESPN (JULY 22-25)
India Rising will compete in the SRC Arena in Syracuse, New York from July 22-25.
Since launching in 2014, the TBT has hosted over 400 games, partnered with ESPN for global distribution, and paid out $10M in prizes.
Over 70+ players with NBA experience have competed, along with 30+ college alumni teams and international professionals from top leagues around the world.
THE DATA // REPRESENTATION MATTERS
Indians face a problem with cultural stereotypes. This is a massive opportunity to redefine what it means to be brown. This is bigger than basketball.
The assumption that Indians are unathletic, or nerdy, quiet, shy, only want to pursue medicine or engineering - all stops now. India Rising was created to break the cultural stereotypes about brown people around the world.
There are 10.5M basketball players in India and it’s the most popular sport amongst the Indian-American and Indo-Canadian Diaspora.
There are over 60+ professional brown players today, competing in countries you’d never expect - Taiwan, Finland, Uruguay, Singapore, New Zealand - with NBA, G League, and pro FIBA experience.
STORY SO FAR
India Rising has already built a team of experts from Hollywood to Bollywood to tell the INDIA RISING story on a global stage.
To have a multi-generational impact, just playing is not enough - there is a need to document this team’s journey.
Indian influencers love this game, from Hasan Minhaj and Ranveer Singh, to Lily Singh and Tesher.
A sports docuseries will be produced, similar to Drive to Survive or The Last Dance, which is why your investment and impact reaches far more than just this summer.
Other Ways You Can Help
Even if you can’t contribute financially, that doesn't mean you can't help :) Help get the word out by sharing this campaign on social media and tagging India Rising! (@india.rising.hoops)