3BL - First-ever Indian pro 3x3 basketball league to begin in June

Compared to the full-length version of the game, Indian basketball has found a little more success in the international 3x3 stage. The shorter and more unpredictable format of the game has helped some Indian players make a mark overseas. Now, for the first time, this fast and furious version of hoops will make its biggest major inroad into India - with the country's first-ever FIBA-recognised professional 3x3 basketball league, the 3BL.

Run by YKBK Enterprise, who have been granted the exclusive rights contract from FIBA 3x3 for the Indian subcontinent, 3BL's first season will be held in six Indian cities - Mumbai, Delhi, Aizawl, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore - from June 9 to August 26 this year. The inaugural season of 3BL in India will feature 12 teams with international and Indian sensations like Amjyot Singh, Palpreet Singh Brar and international basketball sensations like Bikramjit Gill, Inderbir Singh Gill, Leandro Lima and many more.

3x3 Basketball is a 10-minute high speed basketball tournament and it officially became an Olympic sport in June 2017. It will be introduced in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

A special launch event for 3BL was held in Mumbai on April 25 in the presence of the tournament's organisers and many top league participants like Satnam Singh, Palpreet Singh, and Amjyot Singh.

Yoshia Kato, the chairman of 3BL said, "Seeing the performance of Indian origin players in the sport, we decided to start the first ever FIBA 3x3 recognised basketball league in India. We plan to make a serious impact on the growth of this sport in the country."

"Basketball has a fascinating story in India," said Rohit Bakshi, the commissioner of 3BL. "Till a few years ago, most people didn’t know anything about 3x3 Basketball and today it poses a serious opportunity. Our aim is to create a new fan base for basketball in India by promoting the 3x3 Basketball at a grassroots level and through wider outreach plans for viewers and players both."

"As the sporting landscape of our country changes and evolves, this short action-packed format will revolutionise basketball in India," said Sudhir Vashist, Chief of Marketing & Business Development, 3BL said, "It is definitely going to be a very appealing sport for both brands and audiences."

Before Season 1 of the 3BL begins, the list of participating players will be finalised on May 10, and the team draft will be held on the same day. There will be tryouts in Delhi and Bengaluru on May 13.

3BL Season 1 Schedule

• Round 1 – Delhi – June 9-10
• Round 2 – Aizawl – June 23-24
• Round 3 – Kolkata – July 7-8
• Round 4 – Chennai – July 21-22
• Round 5 – Bengaluru – August 11-12
• Round 6 (Final Round) – Mumbai – August 25-26

On 22nd & 23rd September 2018, FIBA 3x3 has allotted 3BL to host the 3x3 World Tour Masters in India. This is the first time that an International FIBA 3x3 event will be held in India and is one of the major events for the 2018 FIBA 3x3 World Tour Season. 12 teams will participate from across the World over a two-day event. 2 of those 12 teams will be from the 3BL Season 1 Clubs, selected based on their performance over the first two Rounds of the Season. The winners of Round 4 and 5 will be eligible to participate in the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Masters in India. If the Winners are the same for both Round 4 and 5, or one of the teams are unable or unwilling to participate, then the 2nd place team from that Round will be eligible to participate.

A total of 12.1 lakh rupees prize money will be handed out during the course of the league.

Hoopdarshan Episode 39: Satnam Singh readies for the new NBA D-League season

A little over a year ago, Satnam Singh made history by becoming the first Indian to be drafted into the NBA. After spending a season with the D-League, Satnam readies for another season with the Texas Legends. The 7-foot, 20-year-old phenon makes a comeback on India's finest basketball podcast, Hoopdarshan, to talk to hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok about striving for more time to prove his talent, his off-court life in the D-League, NBA ambitions, and finding life-size cutouts of himself around Frisco.

In addition, Hoopdarshan's hosts also discuss Palpreet Singh getting drafted into the NBA D-League, Amjyot Singh and Amritpal Singh's chances in the future.



Hoopdarshan is the truest voice of Indian basketball, and since we're such hopeless fans of the game, it will become the voice of everything basketball related we love, from the NBA to international hoops, too. On every episode of Hoopdarshan, we will be inviting a special guest to interview or chat to about a variety of topics. With expert insight from some of the brightest and most-involved people in the world of Indian basketball, we hope to bring this conversation to a many more interested fans, players, and followers of the game.

Make sure to follow Hoopdarshan on Soundcloud or search for 'Hoopdarshan' on the iTunes Store! Auto-sync Hoopdarshan to your preferred podcast app NOW!

Hoopdarshan can be found on...

• - iTunes: Hoopdarshan 
• - Hoopdarshan on Soundcloud 
• - On Twitter: @Hoopdarshan 
• - Facebook.com/Hoopdarshan 

Hoopdarshan Episode 38: A Diwali NBA Season Preview with Samir Kumar

Diwali is the greatest fireworks show in the world... Well, that, and on the basketball court! This year, the 'Festival of Light' couldn't come at a better time, as it coincides with the beginning of the 2016-17 NBA Season. To tackle all the most pressing questions and excitement of the coming year, Hoopdarshan hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok call to NBA superfan Samir Kumar for help. Check out this special NBA preview episode, where we wonder if anyone can stop a Warriors-Cavaliers rematch, discuss the players and teams who will most intrigue us this season, and allow Samir to give us an important Ray Allen tribute.

Some of the questions we debate include 1. Who'll win the wide-open MVP race? 2. Is there anyone capable of stopping LeBron in the East? Will Russell Westbrook unleash the wrath? Will Kristaps Porzingis become a god now or later? And much more! Episode 38 also features Indian basketball news, including Amjyot Singh and Palpreet Singh heading to the NBA D-League draft.



Hoopdarshan is the truest voice of Indian basketball, and since we're such hopeless fans of the game, it will become the voice of everything basketball related we love, from the NBA to international hoops, too. On every episode of Hoopdarshan, we will be inviting a special guest to interview or chat to about a variety of topics. With expert insight from some of the brightest and most-involved people in the world of Indian basketball, we hope to bring this conversation to a many more interested fans, players, and followers of the game.

Make sure to follow Hoopdarshan on Soundcloud or search for 'Hoopdarshan' on the iTunes Store! Auto-sync Hoopdarshan to your preferred podcast app NOW!

Hoopdarshan can be found on...

• - iTunes: Hoopdarshan 
• - Hoopdarshan on Soundcloud 
• - On Twitter: @Hoopdarshan 
• - Facebook.com/Hoopdarshan 

Amjyot Singh eligible for NBA D-League draft: "Aim is to be first Indian in the NBA."

The Singh Factor in the NBA D-League has doubled its chances of doubling this season.

Chandigarh's Amjyot Singh Gill, probably the finest basketball player from India right now, will finally get his best shot at high-level glory soon. The six-foot-nine, 24 year old forward has signed a contract with the NBA D-League and he will now be eligible for the D-League's draft on October 30th.

The D-League already features India's first NBA draftee Satnam Singh, who is signed for the Texas Legends. A few weeks ago, it was announced that the ACG-NBA Jump winner Palpreet Singh signed a D-League contract for draft eligibility. Amjyot's signing will mean that now, there will be two Indians hoping for a roster spot on Draft Day. If all goes well, there could be three giant Singhs hooping, and hopefully, dominating the NBA's Development League very soon!

OVer the last few years, Amjyot has truly made a mark on basketball in India and further around the Asian continent. With his performances for the national team, he has emerged as the best All-Round talent and one of the top superstars of the Indian national team. Abroad, he has excelled for the Tokyo Excellence in the Japanese D-League and made waves in the FIBA 3x3 tour in Tokyo. Most recently, he helped India to their best international basketball performance in 27 years with a 7th place finish at the FIBA Asia Challenge in Iran.

The six-round NBA D-League draft is set to feature more than 200 draft-eligible players, and out of these, Amjyot will be fighting to be among the top 130 odd players who usually get drafted. If Amjyot gets drafted he will have to report to the team within a day or two for an 8-10 day training camp. All players, including Amjyot will be assessed on various physical (such as strength and conditioning) and game parameters (individual and team based basketball skills such as shooting, defence, rebounding, special awareness, passing etc.). If Amjyot suitably impresses then he has a chance to become an official D-League player in any of the 22 D-League teams currently affiliated to their parent franchise in the NBA.

D-League teams often work as development schools or 'feeders' to their parent NBA franchises. Over the last three seasons around 15% of NBA D-League athletes (or an average of 39 players per season) have been called up to the NBA. In a phone interview from Chandigarh, Amjyot expressed that his goal was to keep rising all the way up.

"I'm feeling really good about this news, but I'm also a little nervous. This is once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Amjyot told me. "My personal aim is to become the first Indian to play in the NBA."

Amjyot's former Punjab and India teammate Satnam Singh was drafted in the NBA and has played in the D-League for one season, but hasn't yet received an NBA call-up. Last summer, Indo-Canadian Sim Bhullar became the first player of Indian-origin to play in the NBA.

While Palpreet worked his way on to the D-League's radar by winning the ACG-NBA Jump - a talent scouting programme in India - earlier this year, Amjyot's success came from the work he has put in over the past few years in competitive games in India and abroad. Scouts from around the world have noted his talent, and he told me that the news of the D-League contract was broken to him during the FIBA Asia Challenge last month by NBA India's Carlos Barroca. His management team - Pursuit - were one of the major forces in helping him realize this dream.

"This is a big step forward for both Amjyot as well as Indian basketball," said Vishnu Ravi Shankar, Amjyot's manager and the business head of Pursuit. "He has earned the right to be in the D-League draft based purely on his performances with the Indian national team and professionally in Japan. If called up, we have no doubt he can make a splash in the D-League, which would in turn open a world of opportunity for him."

In his most recent international outing - the FIBA Asia Challenge - Amjyot helped India to a 4-4 final record, averaging 12.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. He was one of the stars of the Japan's D-League last season alongside his India teammate Amrit Pal Singh. He helped the Tokyo Excellence win the D-League title on the back of 13.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game over 35 games, playing 21 minutes per game.

Before the draft, Amjyot will first head to Dubai for the FIBA 3x3 World Championships with the Team Hamamatsu, comprising of all Indian-origin player. After that, he will await word from the D-League about his future status.

"From my side, I'm working on improving my individual skills and strength in preparation for the D-League," Amjyot said. "I will especially focus on improving my stamina."

The NBA D-League's 16th season begins on Nov. 11 with a record 22 teams. Following the draft, teams will hold training camps beginning on Oct. 31, and will trim their rosters to 10 players on Nov. 10, before the start of the season.

Hoopdarshan Episode 37: India's historic performances at FIBA Asia Challenge with Vishesh Bhriguvanshi

Vishesh Bhriguvanshi is a busy man. Between starring for India at the historic FIBA Asia Challenge performance in Iran, winning the Maldives pro basketball league in his first season, and leading ONGC to the FIBA Asia Champions Cup in China, the superstar guard found time to guest in Episode 37 of the Hoopdarshan podcast. With Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok, Bhriguvanshi recapped India's recent big wins, his stacked international basketball schedule, and revealed why's he's now the Banarasi James Harden.

Bhriguvanshi (24) is one of the biggest stars in Indian basketball. Hailing from Varanasi, the shooting guard is a former captain of the Men's national team and has led India to several notable international successes, including to multiple FIBA Asia Championships and the most recent, historic 7th place finish at the FIBA Asia Challenge.

Apart from our interview with Bhriguvanshi, we also discuss news of the NBA's global academies, a D-League contract for India's Palpreet Singh, and our early reviews of the NBA preseason in the latest episode.



Hoopdarshan is the truest voice of Indian basketball, and since we're such hopeless fans of the game, it will become the voice of everything basketball related we love, from the NBA to international hoops, too. On every episode of Hoopdarshan, we will be inviting a special guest to interview or chat to about a variety of topics. With expert insight from some of the brightest and most-involved people in the world of Indian basketball, we hope to bring this conversation to a many more interested fans, players, and followers of the game.

Make sure to follow Hoopdarshan on Soundcloud or search for 'Hoopdarshan' on the iTunes Store! Auto-sync Hoopdarshan to your preferred podcast app NOW!

Hoopdarshan can be found on...

• - iTunes: Hoopdarshan 
• - Hoopdarshan on Soundcloud 
• - On Twitter: @Hoopdarshan 
• - Facebook.com/Hoopdarshan 

India's Palpreet Singh signs D-League contract and will be eligible to be drafted next month

India's basketball expectations are about to get updated once again. Palpreet Singh (21), the winner of the ACG-NBA Jump - India's first national basketball talent search programme - has now signed a contract with the NBA's D-League. This contract makes him eligible to be drafted in the NBDL on their draft night on October 30, 2016. Palpreet hopes to become the second Indian national to play in the D-League, following in the footsteps of Satnam Singh of the Texas Legends, the first Indian to be drafted into the NBA.

Palpreet Singh is a 6-foot-9 power forward originally from Sri Muktsar Sahib in south western Punjab. His big international breakthrough came with India’s junior squad at the 2012 FIBA U18 Asia Championship in Mongolia. Over the next three years, he played for India’s senior team and secured a backup spot behind our current superstar Punjabi frontcourt of Amjyot Singh and Amrit Pal Singh. He was part of the Indian squad that defeated China at the 2014 FIBA Asia Cup.

Palpreet's potential was spotted by NBA coaches at the ACG-NBA Jump Finals in Greater Noida earlier this year, coaches that included former NBA champion Brian Shaw. With his victory, he won an opportunity to take part in the D-League's National tryouts. Palpreet spent the first half of 2016 working with coaches in India to get his skillset ready for the NBA D-League. In early July, he headed to the USA to continue his training. He began training at the John Lucas Academy in Houston (Texas) and later, took part in the tryouts in New York City in mid-August. He remains on the grind now, still in New York City, where he is practicing with the New York Athletic Club.

The new contract doesn't mean that Palpreet is guaranteed to play in the D-League for the upcoming season; it only guarantees that he'll be among the eighty or so names who will be eligible on draft night.

"This opportunity only comes to a few people, I don’t want to lose it," Palpreet told NBA India over a phone interview recently. "This is a special chance and challenge for me, I want to make the most of it."

"The competition is tough but it is great to know you are competing with the best to play in the best league in the world," he said.

In an interview with the Indian Express' Shahid Judge, NBA India's Senior Director Carlos Barroca, who has followed Palpreet's improvements over the last few years, seemed optimistic of his chances to be drafted.

Off the over 300 hopefuls, the 21-year-old was one of the 80 who were eventually shortlisted to proceed to the draft phase of the selection. Yet within the final list, senior director of NBA India Carlos Barroca asserts the 6-foot-9 athlete has a strong chance of getting selected. “I’d say he’s somewhere in the middle of that 80. Everyone loved him during the trials,” he says.

Years ago, Palpreet Singh and Satnam Singh shared a common room at the Ludhiana Basketball Academy (LBA), Punjab's premier hoops institution where they both trained to become the Indian basketball stars that they are today. Hopefully, the two Punjabis will see their paths cross again across the pond and double the butter chicken order in the D-League for the next season.

Hoopdarshan Episode 27: Basketball Legend Jayasankar Menon and the Indian Basketball Players Association

On Episode 27 of the Indian basketball podcast Hoopdarshan, hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok are blessed to welcome Jayasankar Menon, a retired legend of the game and the Secretary-General of the Indian Basketball Players Association (IBPA). In a candid and entertaining chat, Menon discusses the IBPA's efforts to save basketball from its conflicts in India, his glory days as Indian captain and Asian All Star, future direction of Indian hoops, and why we should thank a reckless Auto-Richshaw wallah for his success.

Menon was the captain of the Indian National basketball team in the 90s. Originally from Kerala and honed further in Tamil Nadu, Menon played power forward for India in his hayday, and rose to become of the country's top players. He was the first Indian to be chosen for an Asian All Star team in 1997, was nominated for the Arjuna Award, won 2 gold medals for India in the South Asian Games, and won 5 senior national gold medals for Railways and Tamil Nadu. Now, he's the director of Chennai's Professional Basketball Academy and Secretary-General of the IBPA, which was launched last year.



Hoopdarshan aims to be the true voice of Indian basketball, and since we're such hopeless fans of the game, it will become the voice of everything basketball related we love, from the NBA to international hoops, too. On every episode of Hoopdarshan, we will be inviting a special guest to interview or chat to about a variety of topics. With expert insight from some of the brightest and most-involved people in the world of Indian basketball, we hope to bring this conversation to a many more interested fans, players, and followers of the game.

Make sure to follow Hoopdarshan on Soundcloud or search for 'Hoopdarshan' on the iTunes Store! Auto-sync Hoopdarshan to your preferred podcast app NOW!

Hoopdarshan can be found on...

• - iTunes: Hoopdarshan 
• - Hoopdarshan on Soundcloud 
• - On Twitter: @Hoopdarshan 
• - Facebook.com/Hoopdarshan