Hoopistani: April 2021

April 15, 2021

Hoopdarshan 103: Mirin Fader on Princepal Singh and Giannis Antetokounmpo

Princepal Singh became the third Indian to play in the G-League. Last month, Mirin Fader wrote a story on The Ringer about Princepal, his journey from Punjab to the G-League Ignite, and more. Fader joins us on Episode 103 of the Indian basketball podcast, Hoopdarshan to give the story behind the story: her impressions of Princepal, his current situation, and her research into Punjabi pinni. Plus, she shares details from her highly-anticipated biography of the Greek Freak, Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Mirin Fader is a staff writer for The Ringer, writing long-form, human-interest features on all sports. She’s the author of the forthcoming book, GIANNIS: The Improbable Rise of an NBA MVP, based off her profile of two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and his youngest brother Alex Antetokounmpo. The book will be released August 10, 2021 by Hachette Books.

Also in Episode 103, hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok discuss India's upcoming FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, the 2021 FIBA Asia Women's Cup, and share thoughts from around the NBA, including Jamal Murray's injury and Steve Nash's crazy first year as a head coach.

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!

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April 10, 2021

Hoopdarshan Episode 102: Vishesh Bhriguvanshi Keeps Winning

In Episode 102, Team India captain Vishesh Bhriguvanshi returns to Hoopdarshan to discuss his miraculous game-winner in the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers against Iraq, his dream come true with the Arjuna Award, his recent biography, and that viral ‘pawri’ video. Hosted by Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok.

Guard/forward for Team India and ONGC, Vishesh Bhriguvanshi has been one of India's best basketball players for over a decade, and recently led India to a 1-1 record in the latest window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers. Hailing from Varanasi, Bhriguvanshi was conferred the prestigious Arjuna Award last year.

In Episode 102, Kaushik and Karan also discuss NBA Academy India's Harshwardhan Tomar receiving a scholarship to play in the US and share their opinions in the most wide-open NBA MVP race in years.