New Delhi,  The National Basketball Association (NBA) and ACG, a pharma manufacturing solutions company, on Wednesday announced the return of ACG-NBA Jump, a basketball scouting programme that provides aspiring players from across India with a platform to showcase their skills.

The 2022 edition, happening for the first here since the Covid-19 outbreak, will begin from May 21 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here and will visit cities like Kottayam, Ludhiana, Mumbai and Kolkata.

The top players from the five venues will be invited to the culminating ACG-NBA Jump National Finals on July 2-3 at NBA Academy India.

"The programme has been instrumental in identifying aspiring players and giving them the resources to maximise their potential," said NBA Academy India technical director Scott Flemming.

"It is great to be back on the ground alongside the NBA to build the local basketball ecosystem and talent pathway for India's best basketball players," said ACG MD Karan Singh.

The programme was first launched in 2015. Palpreet Singh, the top prospect from the inaugural edition, attended the 2016 NBA G League National Tryout in the US and was subsequently drafted by the Long Island Nets in the 2016 NBA G League Draft.

NBA Academy India opened in 2017 and has seen 20 graduates earn scholarships to prep schools and junior colleges in the US or sign professional contracts, including Princepal Singh, who became the first NBA Academy graduate to sign with the NBA G League and first player from India to win an NBA Summer League Championship.