Mumbai, Feb 25 (IANS): The National Basketball Association (NBA) on Tuesday announced the launch of the leagues first dribble-a-thon in India -- a basketball challenge event featuring participants aged six and above dribbling a basketball across a one kilometre course.

The event will tip off Saturday at the Sports Complex, Sector 7, Chandigarh, and will travel to multiple cities across the country over the next few months, including Jaipur and Ghaziabad.

"We launched dribble-a-thon to promote basketball participation in a fun and unique way," said NBA India Managing Director Rajesh Sethi.

"With the increasing popularity of basketball and the NBA across India, we are always looking for new and exciting ways to engage with our fans."

Dribble-a-thon will also offer exciting fan experiences including basketball arcade games, NBA 2K competitions.

To tip off the event, the NBA will unveil a 16-feet basketball that will travel from Chandigarh to all the cities where dribble-a-thon will be held. Participants and fans across all cities will be able to write messages on the ball to connect with one another and express what basketball means to them.