Actor Ranveer Singh flew off to Cleveland last night to be a part of the big ticket, star-studded NBA All-Star celebrity game that features some of the top global musicians and basketball players. The USA’s National Basketball Association had appointed Ranveer as the NBA Brand Ambassador from India in September last year.
The actor is set to play alongside the likes of comedian Tiffany Haddish, rappers and recording artists like Anuel, Machine Gun Kelly, Jack Harlow and Quavo. The game will also feature renowned athletes from the past and present including Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, Las Vegas Aces forward Dearica Hamby and Cleveland Cavaliers legends Booby Gibson and Anderson Varejao. The game will be played on Friday, February 18 at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland.
Talking about how him playing at the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game highlights Indian acting fraternity’s representation at the world stage, he says, “It is quite exciting for me! This is the stuff of dreams. It’s so far-fetched that it’s not even on my bucket list. I will be playing against and with some of the finest talents in the world of talent and sport and it’ll be a great experience to be in Cleveland in what is a weekend long celebration of basketball culture. I am really looking forward to it.”
He adds, “I do wish to do my bit to propel Indian cinema to a place of global recognition. I think the Koreans have done it effectively, in spite of the language barrier, and it serves as an example of what could be in the future for Indian cinema at the global stage.”
Ranveer also revealed how he took up basketball when he went to America to study at Indiana University. “I first became a fan of basketball when I started watching basketball on TV watching Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in the 90s. Then I went to American for four years to study at Indiana University which had a great basketball culture and a great basketball legacy. A basketball college or a town as they called it,” he says.
The Gully Boy actor said that he regularly plays the game which also allows him to stay fit, “When I moved out of the campus our apartment had a basketball court right next door so we pretty much played every day and now I play in my building apartment complex which has a beautiful basketball court and it’s a great way to stay fit and to make friends. Even if I have nobody to play with I just do some shooting practice. I find it very therapeutic.”
The actor hasn’t been able to get too much practice before the All-Star celebrity game because as he is busy filming for Karan Johar’s Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani but he intends to hit the court as much as possible once he lands in Cleveland, where he will be coached by the NBA legend Bill Walton!
He says, “I have not been able to practice much because I have been busy shooting a song for Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahaani, but in the past 2-3 years I have been pretty regular with my basketball because I stay with Deepika in her apartment which has a wonderful court in the building premises.”
Ranveer has a stellar line up of marquee projects in his next slate of movies that include YRF’s Jayeshbhai Jordaar, Shankar’s remake of his blockbuster Anniyan, Rohit Shetty’s Cirkus and Karan Johar’s Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani.
