Every NBA player to have ever visited India - The Comprehensive List

When Satnam Singh's name was called 52nd on the 2015 NBA Draft Night, he became the first Indian to be drafted into the world's finest basketball league. While he still has miles to go before he makes his first appearance in an NBA game, he sat set the wheels in motion for many other Indians to potentially follow him to the league. But while we wait for Indians to make it to the NBA, there has been no shortage of NBA players from coming to India.

India has great potential as a basketball market, and over the past half a decade or so, the NBA has come to realize and support that potential. Dozens of NBA players have already stepped foot on Indian shores in recent years, most of them sent by the NBA itself, but many others visited with other personal and professional agendas. Apart from imparting leading basketball training clinics, many of the visits were also highlighted by charity events.

I've been keeping a tally of these visits ever since the inception of this blog. Looking ahead to the future, and it seems that the number of these visits will only increase - the new Indian-born owner of the Sacramento Kings Vivek Ranadive has even dreamt of bringing the entire squad for an exhibition game in India.

So, before the numbers get too out of hand, here is the running list of every NBA player - past and present - to have visited India. Although I have scoured recent history comprehensively, there is no doubt that I may have missed visits several older visits, or visits done in complete privacy without any media fanfare (for example, Phil Jackson may or may not have spent the late 70s trekking across the Himalayas). Feel free to contact me to update the list with any such cases.

Kevin Garnett: October 2006 - In his last year's as a Timberwolf, KG took part in an adidas promotional trip through Asia which seemed to be years ahead of its time. He visited schools and adidas stores New Delhi and Bangalore, and stopped by the Taj Mahal in Agra.

Dominque Wilkins, Sam Perkins, Ronny Turiaf, Kyle Korver, Pat Garrity, Linton Johnson: July 2008 - The NBA's Basketball Without Borders Asia camp was held in New Delhi in the 2008 summer. A group of former and current NBA players - headlined by none other than the Human Highlight Film himself - came to India for the event. Although they were there for coaching programmes at BWB in New Delhi, they also visited the Taj Mahal. Korver started his trip in Kolkata, where he took part in charity work with the foundation left behind by Mother Teresa.

Robert Parish, Marty Conlon: November 2008 - Former Celtic great Parish and retired big man Conlon came to Mumbai for the NBA/WNBA Hoop School programme. Conlon, who works with the NBA office, has made several more visits to India.

AC Green: April 2009 - The former Laker came to Mumbai to inaugurate a basketball court in Nagpada.

Baron Davis: July 2009 - When B-Diddy was with the Clippers, he took a summer trip to India to kick off the NBA Jam event at a mall in Mumbai.

Dikembe Mutombo: December 2009 - The fearsome Mount Mutombo himself was in Mumbai and Chennai to unveil new basketball courts in both cities.

Marty Conlon: July 2010 - Conlon returned to India to assist the NBA Challenge event in Bangalore.

Dwight Howard: August 2010 - Howard was still with the Magic when he made his trip to India, and, at its time, it was the most important visit by an NBA player yet. The NBA sent him to the Delhi-NCR region and to Bangalore for a promotional trip. Dwight took part in fan events at malls, visited a zoo, and held a clinic in Bangalore with India's national team.

Pau Gasol: August 2010 - Just weeks after Howard, the NBA sent another big All Star - Pau Gasol. Gasol went to Delhi and Mumbai, taking part in NBA Cares programmes and holding clinics in schools in both cities.

George Gervin: February 2011 - The Iceman - along with WNBA star Katie Smith - came to India in a trip sponsored by the US Department of State and the NBA. They held clinics and charity events in Delhi and Mumbai.

Shawn Bradley: March 2011 - Quietly, without any fanfare, the former NBA center volunteered at a leprosy colony in the Thottanaval village in Tamil Nadu as behalf of the Rising Star Outreach.

Brandon Jennings: May 2011- While still with the Bucks, the NBA sent Jennings to Mumbai and he also made the first official NBA visit to Pune. He Attended Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA National Skills Challenge Finals in Mumbai, held clinics in both cities, and took part in charity events with Magic Bus.

Boris Diaw: Summer 2011 - The San Antonio Spur came to India to intern under photographer Steve Winter who was working on a wildlife photography project on tigers at the Bandhavgarh National Park in Umaria, Madhya Pradesh.

Kenny Natt: May 2011-June 2012 - More people perhaps remember him as a coach, but Kenny Natt was also a journeyman NBA player for most of the 80s. After serving as interim head coach of the Kings, he came to India as the Head Coach of the Senior National Men's squad. Over the year he spent in the country, Natt traveled to several cities attending training camps, tournaments, and coaches' coaching programmes. He held clinics with the national squad of course and the junior squads too. He led India to the FIBA Asia Championship in Wuhan, China, in 2011. And much, much more.

Steve Smith: September 2011 - While working with NBA TV, Smith came to Delhi-NCR to help inaugurate NBA Jam and also spend some time working out with India's U16 squad.

Muggsy Bogues: January 2012 - The NBA's shortest ever player came to New Delhi where he interacted and trained young players in local schools.

Raja Bell: July 2012 - Bell was in New Delhi, where he trained with India’s National Men’s Team and participated in a variety of fan events and basketball development programmes.

Robert Horry: September 2012 - Mr. Big Shot came for the launch of NBA 3x tournaments to Delhi-NCR.

Luc Longley: October 2012 - The former Chicago Bull Center visited India for the Finals of the first-ever Mahindra NBA Challenge National Championship in New Delhi.

Jerome Williams, Paul Grant, Anthony Bonner: December 2012 - The Junkyard Dog Jerome Williams and a couple of retired NBA journeymen joined an American squad called 'Superpower' to take part in the legendary Savio Cup Tournament in Mumbai. They won the tournament.

Chris Bosh: July 2013 - In the most-hyped trip made by an NBA player to India to date, Chris Bosh visited Mumbai amidst much fanfare. The "#NamasteBosh" promotions laid the groundwork for this big visit, which Bosh made soon after capturing his second NBA title with the Heat. Bosh visited sites around Mumbai, announced new season of NBA Jam, held development camps, visited schools and colleges and took part in charity event. He also made a personal visit to the Taj Mahal.

Horace Grant, Ron Harper, Peja Stojakovic September 2013 - The three former champions from various squads came to Mumbai for the NBA Jam Finals. Grant visited New Delhi as well.

Muggsy Bogues: Feburary 2014 - Bogues returned to India to assist with the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA Programme in Mumbai and Kochi.

Isaiah Thomas: June 2014 - In one of his last public appearances as a Sacramento King, Thomas conducted basketball clinics at schools and community organizations across Mumbai and Chennai, provided in-depth analysis to the NBA Finals on Sony SIX, and more.

Bruce Bowen: October - November 2014 - The three-time former NBA champ of the San Antonio Spurs was in India as the 2014-15 NBA season tipped off. Bowen attended NBA Jam and Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA events in Kolkata, Gurgaon, Chandigarh, and Ludhiana, His was the first official NBA visit to Kolkata. 

Vlade Divac: December 2014 - Former King and Laker Vlade Divac accompanied Kings' Indian owner Vivek Ranadive and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to a trip to India. Divac visited a school in Mumbai as part of the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA programme and took part in a UNICEF visit LTMC Medical College in Mumbai.

Cedric Ceballos: January 2015 - The former NBA All Star and Slam Dunk contest - who played for the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, and several other teams in the 90s - came to India to host the UBA Men's National University Basketball Championship in Chennai and judge the tournament's slam dunk contest.

Shandon Anderson - March 2015 - Anderson was the chief guest at the closing ceremony of Bengaluru's Jain University's four-day sports festival VIE 2015. He played in the NBA for a decade after becoming the 54th pick by the Utah Jazz in 1996, later moving to the Rockets, Knicks, and finally, the Heat. Random.

Sim Bhullar - May 2015 - The first NBA player of Indian-descent, the 7-foot-5 Canadian Center who played for the Sacramento Kings, Bhullar came to India soon after the Kings' regular season ended. His trip was a perfect culmination of hoops, fun, cultural exchanges, and glamour. In Mumbai, he mingled with Bollywood top brass like Abhishek Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra, and Ranveer Singh, andwas a special guest on the IPL cricket show Extraa Innings. He surprised young basketball players at YMCA courts in Bandra, joined young players in a Jr NBA camp in New Delhi, and spoke to the media about his hopes for more Indians to follow him into the NBA. He took part in the ‘#Simsanity Challenge’ put forth by Indian fans in social media, fitting into an Auto-Rickshaw and saying Indian tongue-twisters. In Amritsar, he reconnected with his Punjabi roots and paid obeisance at the Golden Temple before heading to Pingalwara, a home for individuals suffering from incurable and terminal diseases, to which his family made a contribution. In Chandigarh, he conducted a basketball coaching clinics.

Jason Richardson - October/November 2015 - 14-year retired veteran and two-time Slam Dunk champion Jason Richardson came to India from October 29th - November 1st 2015 for a three-day promotional tour of the country for the NBA Jam and the continued growth of basketball in India. Richardson travelled to New Delhi, Ahmedabad (Gujarat), and Mumbai to conduct basketball clinics for players and coaches alike and engage with fans at two of the NBA's premier events in India: the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA programme and NBA Jam.

Brian Shaw - February 2016 - Former NBA champion (3 times, with the Lakers) and ex-Nuggets coach Brian Shaw came to India in February 2016 to promote the NBA. During his trip, he tipped off premier NBA events like the ACG-NBA Jump National Finals in Greater Noida, NBA City Finals in Jaipur, and NBA Jam in Mumbai. His most significant contribution was at the ACG-NBA Jump Finals, where he helped choose Palpreet Singh Brar as the competition's winner and India's representative to the NBDL trials.

Joe Courtney - March/April 2016 - Former NBA and global basketball journeyman Joe Courtney came to India in March 2016 to broadcast season 2 of the UBA Basketball League in Hyderabad.

Robin Lopez, Seth Curry - April/May 2016 - Center Robin Lopez and guard Seth Curry - at that time belonging to the New York Knicks and Sacramento Kings - travelled to Noida and Mumbai from April 28 - May 1 to support the continued growth of basketball by conducting youth clinics and interacting with local fans. They engaged with players at Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA Elite National Camp and took part in Sony SIX's show 'Around the Hoop'.

Shawn Marion - November/December 2016 - Former NBA champ Shawn Marion came to Mumbai and New Delhi for a five-day trip, where he took part in the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA programme, chatted with fans live on NBA India's Facebook page, conducted a junior NBA camp at the ITL School in Delhi, and inaugurated the 2016/17 ACG-NBA Jump programme in Mumbai. The obligatory 'Around the Hoop' appearance was made, too.

Alex Scales - February/March 2017 - Scales played one game for the San Antonio Spurs in 2005, and thus qualifies for this list. The 38-year-old shooting guard played in a dozen countries around the world before accepting the invitation to come to India to play for the Mumbai Challengers of the UBA Basketball League Season 4.

Kenneth Faried - May 2017 - Faried, 'The Manimal' of the Denver Nuggets, visited India to promote the NBA playoffs, visit the Taj Mahal, dip Parle G into chai, appear on Sony SIX's "Around the Hoop" show, and meet young fans at the NBA Zone at the Ambience Mall in Gurgaon.

Yao Ming - July 2017 - Chinese basketball legend and Basketball Hall of Famer Yao Ming arrived on India to watch the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup in Bengaluru. Yao, 36, indisputably the most successful Asian basketball player in history, retired from the game in 2011 and is currently the president of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Without much fanfare, Yao sat in his corner at the Sree Kantaveera Stadium, took in some high-level basketball action.

Kevin Durant - July 2017 - Reigning champion with the Golden State Warriors, Finals MVP, former MVP, four-time scoring champions, Kevin Durant became definitely the greatest player to set foot on Indian soil,landed in New Delhi. Durant was greeted with a happy set of fans when he landed in Delhi, and the fandom got considerably more star-studded at a reception with some of India’s biggest sports and entertainment celebrities on his first night. The next morning: Durant got to work. His foundation donated two basketball courts to the Ramjas School in New Delhi and he interacted with young schoolkids at the courts’ inauguration. Later, Durant headed to the NBA’s state of the art elite India Academy in Greater Noida, where he trained several of India’s top teenage basketball prospects. Durant’s time at the Academy ended up as he was joined by hundreds of more young players from the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA programme, as well has a few thousand who checked in via a live-stream from around the country, to create a Guinness World Record for “largest basketball lesson” (3,459 attendees). Durant visited the Taj Mahal in Agra, too.

Andre Miller - October 2017 - One of the most-reliable passers of the past few decades, former NBA point guard Andre "The Professor" Miller visited Mumbai and Delhi-NCR from October 27-29, 2017. Miller appeared on the SONY SIX show "Around the Hoop", trained young players at the NBA Academy India, and hosted a coaching session at the Apeejay School in New Delhi.

Michael Ray Richardson - November 2017 - The former All Star, who played in the late 70s and 80s for the Knicks, Suns, and Nets, visited the NBA India Academy in Greater Noida to interact and train the young players. He also went to Mumbai for 'Around the Hoop.

Kevin Martin - January 2018 - The retired shooting guard visited Mumbai, Delhi, and Greater Noida to coach in the Reliance Jr. NBA Programme, the NBA India Academy, and appear on "Around the Hoop" on Sony SIX.

Sam Vincent - April 2018 - NBA journeyman and champion with the '85 Celtics, Sam Vincent came to India for 'The Great Basketball Hunt' in New Delhi.

Brook Lopez -May 2018 - Lopez, who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, followed his brother Robin's footsteps to visit India in Spring 2018. He attended the finals of the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA programme as well as the ACG-NBA Jump, both held in early May in the NBA Academy India in Greater Noida. Lopez also visited the Taj Mahal in Agra during his trip, went to Mumbai to watch an IPL game, and showed up on the "Around the Hoop" show on Sony SIX.

Kelly Olynyk, Dwight Powell, Corey Brewer, Chris LeVert, Darvin Ham - May/June 2018 - The NBA, FIBA, and the BFI came together to host the 2018 Basketball Without Borders Asia camp in India, ten years after it was held last here in New Delhi. This year's camp was in the NBA Academy India in Noida. Olynyk (Heat), Powell (Mavericks), Brewer (Thunder), LeVert (Nets), and former player and current assistant coach Ham (Bucks) were part of the large contingent of NBA/WNBA players/coaches to come to India for the BWB programme. The players and coaches worked with 66 top youth players from across Asia from May 30 - June 2. The players also got a chance to visit the Taj Mahal in Agra during their trip.

Robert Horry - October 2018 - "Big Shot Bob" made his second visit to India prior to the beginning of the 2018-19 NBA season. He worked out with the prospects at the NBA Academy India in Greater Noida and visited Mumbai to appear on NBA broadcast TV shows.

Tim Hardaway - November 2018 - "Senior" Hardaway, the five-time All Star who played for the Warriors, Heat, and more in the 90s, visited India to lead basketball clinics, engage with Indian basketball fans and appear on Sony's NBA wraparound show "Saturday Morning Live."

Rashard Lewis - January 2019 - The first player of New Year 2019 to visit India was Rashard Lewis, star with the Seattle Supersonics and Orlando Magic, and champion with the 2013 Miami Heat. Lewis visited Mumbai and Bengaluru to lead the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA programmes.

Harrison Barnes - April/May 2019 - The Sacramento Kings' forward Harrison Barnes was in India in the height of the summer to promote the upcoming 'NBA India Games' later this year, in which his Kings will play against the Indiana Pacers. Barnes fully immersed into the India experience, visiting heritage sites, gobbling up Indian food, playing Cricket, and much more. He spent most of his time between Delhi-NCR and Mumbai, with a visit to the Taj Mahal in Agra in between. At the NBA Academy India in Greater Noida, Barnes he worked with finalists of the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA programme and the ACG-NBA Jump.

Yao Ming - June 2019 - The former Houston Rocket, Basketball Hall of Famer, and president of the Chinese Basketball Association, Yao Ming returned to India for the draw ceremony of the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, in Bengaluru.

NBA Jam India's 3x3 Basketball National Finals conclude in Mumbai

India's largest-ever 3x3 basketball tournament, the 2013 NBA Jam, came to an end in Mumbai after traversing and collecting basketball talent from across the country on Sunday, September 29th, with the National Finals. The one-month long extravaganza of hoops and music was held in its city stages in four Indian cities before the Finals in Mumbai. NBA India, which organized the event, also welcomed former NBA players (and champions) Horace Grant, Ron Harper, and Peja Stojakovic to Mumbai to attend and participate in the festivities.

The NBA JAM National Finals were held at the Mehboob Studios in Mumbai, and the teams from Bangalore shone brightest under the flashing lights, winning three of the four national titles in the Men's, Women's, and Boys' divisions. A squad from Pune won the trophy in the Girls' division.

Starting in Hyderabad on September 5th, NBA Jam was held over every weekend of the month in a different city, and the champions of each region were then selected for the National Finals. The travelling basketball circus made stopovers at Bangalore and New Delhi before arriving to Mumbai for the final leg of the city competition, and then remaining in the same city for the National Finals. Over 500 teams and 1900 players took part in the action throughout the different stops in India in the four divisions: 16-18 years boys' and girls' and 19-23 years men and women.

Results of the National Finals - via SportsKeeda

• Girls: Pune Tigers beat Bangalore All-Stars 09-05
  
• Boys: Surana College, Bangalore beat Aligarh Muslim University 13-11
  
• Women: Mounts Club, Bangalore beat Loyala Academy, Hyderabad, 15-5
  
• Men: Jain University, Bangalore beat Bharti University, Delhi 21-19
  

Sony SIX, who are in broadcast partnership with NBA India, are televising the Finals in India.

Winners of the four cities had an opportunity to team up with Grant, Harper, and Stojakovic to play in the NBA Legends Game. Besides the three former players, the NBA also sent a mix of entertainers from the league, which included the Sacramento Kings cheerleaders, the New York Knicks Acrobatic Tumblers, and the Miami Heat mascot Burnie.

Several Indian celebrities also attended the Finals, including Nikhil Chinappa, VJ Bani, Raanvijay, Sushma Reddy, Carol Gracias, and Neetu Chandra. Throughout the course of the NBA Jam events around India, some of the biggest Indian bands and DJs performed and entertained the crowds.

Earlier, the three NBA legends were given a chance to tour the city of Mumbai and interact with NBA Jam participants through drills, shooting competitions, signing autographs, and more. Horace Grant was also present for NBA Jam's Delhi edition a week earlier, where he conducted drills and felicitated Delhi Boys' squads which won the Junior and Youth National Basketball Championships this year.

Horace Grant, Ron Harper, & Peja Stojakovic to bring championship flavour to NBA Jam in India

Put together 10 NBA championship rings, four All Star appearances, a Euroleague MVP award, and the experience of sharing the court nightly with the likes of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, and many more of the game's greats, and you could begin to sketch out the identities of the three former NBA stars who will be coming to India over the next month. The 2013 NBA Jam - an interactive travelling basketball festival which will be held in four Indian cities through September - will feature appearances by Horace Grant, Ron Harper, and Peja Stojakovic, three players with long and distinguished NBA careers over the last two and a half decades, all of whom were role players in various NBA title winning squads.

NBA India announced yesterday that Grant, Harper, and Stojakovic will attend the Mumbai stop of the NBA Jam from September 26th onwards and stay till the event's national finals in the same city on September 29th. Additionally, Grant will also be in Delhi for NBA Jam's earlier stop from September 19-21. In addition, the Boston Celtics cheerleading squad - the Celtics Dancers - will also be in Mumbai for the Finals. One source says that the Miami Heat mascot 'Burnie' will also be there, if you're into that sort of thing.

Grant, Harper, and Peja are not necessarily superstars, but for true NBA connoisseurs, there will be some pure geek-out pleasure in welcoming three players who have played bit parts in some of the league's biggest moments since the late 80s.

Picked eighth in the 1986 draft by the Cavaliers, Ron Harper came into the league as a high-flying player capable of playing multiple positions. He finished second in rookie of the year voting and was en route to becoming one of the top young players in the league. After three years in Cleveland, he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. After his first eight seasons in the league scoring nearly 20 points per game, Harper joined the Chicago Bulls as a free agent in 1994. Although his scoring numbers suffered, Harper reinvented himself as a role player in the backcourt, and when Michael Jordan return, the squad (with Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and more) won three more championships. In 1999, Harper followed his Chicago coach Phil Jackson to Los Angeles to play for the Lakers, where he won two more championships as a veteran. He retired from the Lakers in 2001.

Best remembered for his iconic on-court goggles, Horace Grant was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 1987 with rookie Scottie Pippen. Both of them joined a squad that just so happened to field a certain rising superstar by the name of Michael Jordan. Grant became a regular starter for the Bulls when they traded Charles Oakley in 1989, and became the team's top rebounder and their third leading scorer behind Jordan and Pippen. He played a crucial role defending the post as the Bulls won three championships from 1991-93, and 1994, without Michael Jordan temporarily retiring from the game, Grant took a larger role in the team and became an All Star for the first time in his career. After posting career-best numbers (15.1 ppg, 11 rpg), Grant left Bulls for the Orlando Magic, and a year later, was in the NBA Finals again with a team that featured Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway. After five years in Orlando, Grant spent a season with the Supersonics before moving to the Lakers, to rejoin O'Neal in a team that also featured Kobe Bryant. In the midst of the Lakers' three-peat, Grant was part of the squad that won the championship in 2001. He briefly played with the Magic again before returning to the Lakers and retiring from the game in 2004.

One of the greatest three-point shooters of All Time, Serbian-Greek Peja Stojakovic was already a cult legend in Europe before joining the NBA. Playing with Greek side PAOK from 1994-98, Peja had won a Greek League MVP Award and been the top scorer in the EuroLeague before being drafted 14th by the Sacramento Kings in 1998. After two seasons on the bench with the Kings, Peja had his breakout season in 2001, winning the NBA's Most Improved Player Award and becoming a core part of a side with Chris Webber and Mike Bibby that played some of the most entertaining and dominating basketball in the league back in the early 2000s. From 2002-04, Peja played in three All Star games, and also won the Three Point Shooting Competition in two of those years. His best year was 2004, when he averaged career highs of 24.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Midway in 2006 he was traded to the Indiana Pacers for Ron Artest, and later that same year, he joined the New Orleans Hornets. Peja was traded to the Raptors in 2010, and two games later, joined the Dallas Mavericks. He would form the group of role players in Dallas around Dirk Nowitzki that made a magical run in the playoffs to reach the NBA Finals and clinch the 2011 championship. He retired after winning his first and only championship finishing at sixth All Time in three-point field goals made in the NBA.

This year's bigger and better NBA Jam in India was first announced by Miami Heat's Chris Bosh when he was in Mumbai last month. Nearly 500 teams are expected to participate in the 3x3 contests this year as opposed to 400 last year. This edition of the event will include women’s divisions for the first time. In each city, 120 teams will compete across two age divisions for men and women, 16-18 and 19-23. Winning teams from each city will be invited to the National Finals in Mumbai, where they will play in a small-scale replica NBA arena.

During the National Finals, fans will enjoy the first-ever live NBA experience in India. The players will compete in a small scale NBA arena with an emcee, lights, sound, video and a variety of on-court entertainment. The winning teams will have a chance to play 3-on-3 against the NBA legends at the National Finals. There will also be a National Finals for the three-point shooting contest and the winner will get to shoot against Stojakovic. The National Finals will be broadcast live on Sony SIX in India.

The 2013 NBA Jam will be held in Hyderabad from September 5-7, Bangalore from September 12-14, Delhi from September 19-21, and Mumbai from September 26-28, before the Finals in Mumbai on September 29. Music performances by leading Indian artists/DJs, clinics by NBA-India coaches, and dance and graffiti competitions will be held during the events.