2017 NBA Most Valuable Player, Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors gestures during his tour of NBA Academy in Greater Noida near New Delhi, India, Friday, July 28, 2017. Durant is in India to support the continued growth of basketball in the country and meet the elite prospects of NBA Academy India. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
NEW DELHI — Kevin Durant is in India to help the NBA make inroads in a nation of 1.3 billion.
Durant took part in a camp in New Delhi, where the Golden State Warriors star helped set a Guinness world record Friday for the largest basketball lesson — 3,459 participants across multiple venues. The NBA Finals MVP met young players at the NBA Academy, with hundreds more joining by satellite from four other cities across the country.
Durant’s first trip to India is the latest move by the league to grow the game there, much as it is doing in China.
The academy opened in May to train some of the country’s top talents. Since 2008, the NBA has staged more than 1,500 events in 30 Indian cities.