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Ronnie Singh, aka Ronnie 2K, inaugurated the first basketball court in Mumbai, India, built by the gaming company's philanthropic project, 2K Foundations, on Thursday (Dec. 14). The 2K Foundations is committed to investing in communities by providing the resources for sports and education to elevate the children in need.
The court is named after 2K's Digital Marketing Director himself. It's built in collaboration with the 'Hi 5 Youth Foundation,' which runs grass-roots level basketball programs for underprivileged children in public schools. 'The Ronnie 2K Basketball Court' is India's first 2K Foundations project.
The 2K Foundations built 40 courts in six continents before their phenomenal work in India came to fruition.
It was a notable step for the face of NBA 2K, Ronnie Singh, a first-generation Indian-American, who led the inauguration.
"I’ve had conversations with Ranveer [Singh] (Bollywood superstar and NBA India's Brand Ambassador), the Ranadive’s (Vivek Ranadive, owner of the Sacramento Kings)," Ronnie 2K said. "It might be a little early, to be honest, because you’ve to bridge digital rights and all of that stuff. Whatever it is I wanna be among the pioneers that brings real basketball to India."
Ronnie 2K Interview (Exclusive)
Ronnie Singh spoke to Sportskeeda's Arhaan Raje about the 2K Foundations journey, NBA 2K24's reactions and the willingness to be one of the keys to the growth of basketball in India.
Editor’s note: The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and condensed.
Congratulations on 25 years of 2K, the partnership with the Hi 5 Foundation and building your first court in India. What’s the journey with the 2k foundation been like?
Ronnie: "2k foundation has been around five years now. We’ve built almost 40 courts around the world in six continents. This is obviously our first one in India. One that I was very very excited about being a first-generation Indian and being able to come back home to give basketball, which has given, so much to me. 2K has become this lifestyle thing, where I get this opportunity, which has really been amazing. To be able to give this next generation of kids a beautiful place to play basketball."
India has never been renowned for basketball but this initiative gives a push to the sport in the country.
Ronnie: "It’s about the education of basketball. We understand that there is a gap between the people that play basketball here, with an opportunity like we think that this market will grow and there has been interest in basketball. That’s why the NBA has come here a few times. There’s programs coming up around that. So we believe and on top of that, I believe that it’s important for us to teach these kids all the great lessons of basketball like teamwork, leadership and discipline. I’m so excited to bring this here and hopefully, you know, we bring on the next Indian superstar that comes through the Hi-5 program."
Are you trying to push the NBA to do something in India soon through your connections around the league?
Ronnie: "Oh for sure, I would love to ... I’ve had conversations with (Bollywood superstar and NBA India's Brand Ambassador) Ranveer [Singh], the Ranadive’s (owner of the Sacramento Kings) … It might be a little early, to be honest, because you’ve to bridge digital rights and all of that stuff. Whatever it is I wanna be among the pioneers that brings real basketball to India."
What other plans do you and 2K foundation have in India?
Ronnie: "Whatever we can do to invest in education and with time or with supporting future initiatives I’m all about like whenever I can a resource. However 2k can be a resource, today was a beautiful not a first but a first final step, to what this partnership looks like and it’s tremendous."
How did the idea for a court with a mural come to fruition?
Ronnie: "2K Foundation has always had murals associated with courts. I think it’s important to bring the beauty and the vibe of the culture that we’re putting the court in, so this is all Bombay … You see the train station, you see the telephone wires even … The food carts, but ultimately 2 kids playing basketball and having fun. It’s beautifully put together … My autograph’s not too bad I guess!"
Wouldn’t miss the opportunity to talk to you about NBA 2K24. The new game has plenty of changes. Loads of mixed reactions have come in. How do you think the game has progressed?
Ronnie: "It’s great: this is our 25th anniversary. There’s pro-play, which is an amazing innovation and the gameplay of the game in which we take real-life footage and translate it, which is awesome. We have the Mamba Moments, getting to celebrate Kobe [Bryant] is amazing … So many new changes ... Really exciting. Obviously, the enthusiasm continues to be great for our franchise and you know millions of people play our game and it’s exciting to see."
You’ve mentioned before that players get furious about their ratings and let you know about it. Do they also have a say in the game’s progress?
Ronnie: "Oh for sure! A lot of guys get involved … Obviously, this was a little different because we didn’t have a cover athlete that could be part of the process. But even going back to last year even Devin Booker and I were on a mad road trip across the country. But he came in and got involved in the process. They are the closest to the game, so we love their opinions and we definitely take it extremely seriously."
Who do you play with on NBA2K?
Ronnie: "You know it’s funny I played a lot with the Timberwolves and now that they’re the No. 1 seed in the West. But I was on them early. You can watch my earlier interviews, I’ve talked about them for a couple of years. I don’t know why it suddenly clicked this year. Maybe the other premier teams are struggling and this is just the perfect storm but they’re playing really well. My boy Karl-Towns (Karl-Anthony Towns) is crushing it."
What changes can we expect from the next edition of NBA2k?
Ronnie: "Obviously, it's a little bit early to talk about 25 but you can expect us to continue to innovate like no other franchise in the industry, so really excited about next year. It’s gonna be a fun one."
