The Crossover Godfather himself, Tim Hardaway, is visiting Mumbai and Bengaluru for NBA India events

Before there was Allen Iverson, or Kyrie Irving, or Stephen Curry, Jamal Crawford, or Jason Williams, there was the godfather of killer crossovers, Tim Hardaway. Before the Golden State Warriors conquered the world with their Splash Triplets, there was the Run-TMC era. Before Wade and Shaq, and later, the Big Three bought championships to Miami, Hardaway led the team to a then franchise-best 61 victories. Before the time when the smallest guy on the court - the quick-footed, sharp-shooting, point guard - became an impossible to stop weapon, there was Hardaway, UTEP Two-Stepping his way to five NBA All Star appearances and becoming one of the most iconic guards of the 90s.

This week, Hardaway (52) will visit India to promote the growth of basketball and NBA India's recently announced McDonald’s NBA-themed promotion. and promote the growth of basketball. On Tuesday, November 13, Hardaway made his first stop in Mumbai to lead a clinic at the NBA Basketball School in Jamnabai Narsee, Juhu. On November 14, Hardaway will visit the McDonald’s restaurant on High Street Phoenix to meet with fan. On November 15, Hardaway will meet and greet with fans at the McDonald’s outlet in Lido Mall, Bengaluru. Hardaway will return to Mumbai for live television appearances on Sony Ten 1 and Sony Ten 3’s NBA wraparound shows on Nov. 17 to discuss the ongoing NBA season.

"Basketball has taken me to many places around the world and I’m excited to be in India to meet with the fans and do my part to further the development of the game," said Hardaway.

Hardaway was drafted 14th overall by the Golden State Warriors in the 1989 NBA Draft and named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 1990. He was part of the Warriors' iconic (but short-lived) crew "Run-TMC", that included him, Mitch Richmond, and Chris Mullin. His most productive season was with the Warriors in 1991-92, when he averaged a career-best 23.4 ppg. Hardaway was traded to the Miami Heat midseason in the 1995-96 season. In 1996-97, Hardaway finished a career-best fourth in NBA voting, selected to the All NBA First Team, and led Miami to 61 wins. Hardaway also played short stints with the Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, and Indiana Pacers, before retiring from the NBA in 2003. A five-time NBA All-Star, he averaged 17.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 8.2 assists in his career and was named to an All-NBA Team five times.

Hardaway returned to the NBA in a coaching role in 2014, and served as an assistant coach to the Detroit Pistons till the 2017-18 season. Hardaway's son, Tim Hardaway Jr., was drafted to the NBA in 2013 and is currently playing for the New York Knicks where he is the team's leading scorer.

Seriously, Senior Hardaway was legit. Here's proof:

Hoopdarshan Episode 55: NBA India's MD Yannick Colaco

The NBA has made ambitious inroads in India over the last few years, from the elite level like the NBA India Academy to the grassroots like the Reliance Jr. NBA programme. To discuss this, NBA India's Managing Director Yannick Colaco joined Hoopdarshan in Episode 55, where we also spoke about Kevin Durant's recent India trip, NBA's broadcasting and social media growth in India, and future development programmes in the horizon.

Listen to the latest episode where hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok also preview India at FIBA World Cup qualifiers, Amjyot Singh's foray into the NBA G-League, and Satnam Singh returning to India for the UBA League. We finish with our thoughts from the first month of the NBA, including some Porzingis-worship, Kuzma vs. Lonzo, Celtics dominance, and more.



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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• - iTunes: Hoopdarshan 
• - Hoopdarshan on Soundcloud 
• - On Twitter: @Hoopdarshan 
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Former NBA player Andre Miller to drop dimes in India next week

They call him "The Professor" in NBA circles. Andre Miller played seventeen years in the NBA and finished his career ranking top-ten in assists in league history. And yet, he never played in an All Star Game, was never considered for an All NBA Team.

Miller's majestic quality to NBA lore came in the form of quiet, efficient leadership. For seventeen years, he played for nine different teams, spreading his wisdom and spreading the offense, helping talented players get open shots, young players learn from his experiences, and when asked to, dropping in a good share of points on his own. Now, the retired NBA player will bring his valuable dimes to basketball's next big market - India - to support the continued growth of basketball in the country.

Miller will travel to Delhi-NCR on October 30th, where he will visit the NBA Basketball School. On October 31st, he will lead a clinic at the NBA Academy India in Greater Noida. During his trip, he will also appear on the 'Around the Hoop' NBA roundtable show on Sony SIX in Mumbai.

"I'm looking forward to my first visit to India to see firsthand how the NBA has been developing basketball in the country," Miller said. ""I understand there's a lot of potential in India, and I'm excited to contribute to the growth of the sport."

Originally drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1999, Miller played arguably the best basketball of his career in a Cavs jersey, highlighted by the 2001-02 season when he finished with 16.5 points per game, a career-high and league-leading 10.9 assists per game, and a career-best 4.7 rebounds per game. From then on, he became a league journeyman, suiting up for the Clippers, Nuggets (twice, and for the longest duration of his career), 76ers, Trail Blazers, Wizards, Kings, Timberwolves, before retiring after a final season with the San Antonio Spurs. His best scoring output was with the 76ers in 2007-08, and he retired with averages of 12.5 points and 6.5 assists per game for the course of his career. Miller only missed three games to injury in his 17-year career. He's the only player in NBA history to have at least 16,000 career points, 8,000 assists and 1,500 steals without making an NBA All-Star Game.

We welcome Professor Saab to India. Hopefully young players here will learn from him, just like some of the NBA's biggest stars have done over the years.

NBA's second Basketball School in India launched in New Delhi

What better place to get a basketball education than at school... with the NBA?

After the success of their first-ever Basketball School in Mumbai earlier this year, the NBA has followed up this week with the launch of its first Basketball School in New Delhi. NBA India announced that the school will be part of a network of tuition-based basketball development programs around the world open to international male and female players ages 6-18. The NBA School in New Delhi will be at the city's Apeejay School in Seikh Sarai.

The first NBA Basketball School globally was launched in Mumbai in April, as part of a multiyear agreement with India On Track (IOT), one of India’s leading sports management, marketing and development companies. Additional NBA Basketball Schools will be launched in India and around the world in the coming months.

The new initiative adds an additional layer to the NBA’s existing basketball development efforts, including the Jr. NBA, Basketball without Borders (BWB) and NBA Academies.

The Jr. NBA, the league’s global youth basketball participation program for boys and girls, will help identify young players who have the talent to attend NBA Basketball Schools. From there, the top players at each NBA Basketball School will have the opportunity to be selected to attend NBA Academies, the league’s network of elite basketball training centers around the world to develop top international male and female prospects. Registration to attend the NBA Basketball School is now open at indiaontrack.nba.com.

The NBA's first Academy in India also opened earlier this year, in Greater Noida.

Each NBA Basketball School will feature year-long, tuition-based programmes open to international male and female players ages 6-18. The NBA Basketball School curriculum, which is designed to help players, parents, coaches and organizations better understand the process of improvement, has been developed by the NBA’s Elite Basketball Development team in consultation with current and former NBA coaches, former NBA players, and player development experts. The comprehensive curriculum covers oncourt training, strength and conditioning, and basketball education for young players ages 6-18 and will be implemented by local coaches working directly with the NBA’s International Basketball Operations staff around the world.

NBA launches its first Basketball School - in Mumbai

When I was young, the NBA was what we did when we were trying to avoid school. Getting late for class because of the live early morning NBA games. Reading SLAM Magazine instead of English Literature. Hoisting up jumpers on the court late into the night instead of catching up on homework or sleep.

Ah, how things have changed. Now, for a select fortunate few, the NBA could be school itself.

The NBA announced on Friday the launch of the NBA Basketball School, a network of tuition-based basketball development programmes around the world open to international male and female players ages 6-18. For Indian basketball fans, the news is especially closer to home: the first of these groundbreaking schools was launched by the NBA in Mumbai on Friday.

According to NBA India, the NBA Basketball School in Mumbai was launched as part of a multiyear agreement announced with India On Track (IOT), one of India’s leading sports management, marketing and development companies. Additional NBA Basketball Schools will be launched in India and around the world in the coming months. The school will be located at the Jamnabai Narsee School in Vile Parle West.

Registration to attend the NBA Basketball School in Mumbai is now open at indiaontrack.nba.com.

"Our goal is to inspire more young male and female players to learn the game under the guidance of established coaches with proven training techniques,” said NBA Vice President, International Basketball Operations & Head of Elite Basketball, Brooks Meek. "The NBA Basketball School builds an additional track between the Jr. NBA and NBA Academies with the goal of increasing the pool of players who have the talent to attend our academies around the world."

The Jr. NBA, the league’s global youth basketball participation program for boys and girls, will help identify young players who have the talent to attend NBA Basketball Schools. From there, the top players at each NBA Basketball School will have the opportunity to be selected to attend NBA Academies, the league’s network of elite basketball training centers around the world to develop top international male and female prospects. The NBA's first Academy in India was announced in the Delhi-NCR region recently.

Each NBA Basketball School will feature year-long, tuition-based programs open to international male and female players ages 6-18. The NBA Basketball School curriculum covers on-court training, strength and conditioning, and basketball education for young players ages 6-18 and will be implemented by local coaches working directly with the NBA’s International Basketball Operations staff around the world.

"There has never been a more exciting time for the growth of basketball in India," said NBA India Managing Director Yannick Colaco. "Between NBA Academy India welcoming 24 elite prospects and the launch of NBA Basketball Schools with our partner India On Track, we are investing more than ever in identifying and training India’s aspiring young players."

"We are now at the cusp of a new phase in India’s sporting journey, and to ensure its continued growth we need to lay down strong foundations for basketball," said IOT Founder and CEO Vivek Sethia. "This initiative jointly executed by the NBA and India On Track will help to create a platform to identify and engage the untapped basketball potential in India thereby creating a larger talent pool for academies to choose from."

According to their programme overview, the NBA Basketball School will take input from NBA coaches, former NBA players, and player development experts to develop a comprehensive basketball curriculum approved by the National Basketball Coaches Association that will be introduced in partnership with school coaches. The program will be led by teams of foreign and local coaches with NBA regional heads overseeing all training operations. In-depth information about their basketball curriculum is provided on the NBA Basketball School's official website.

Australian Ryan Burns, an experienced international basketball coach, will be the school's technical director.

This is a great opportunity for young players in the city. Hopefully more NBA schools pop up in other cities to tap into India's wealth of potential basketball talent around the country.