On the second episode of Hoopdarshan - the first-ever Indian basketball podcast - hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok oversee the end of the NBA regular season in style, with Madhok's NBA.com/India co-blogger and best-selling author Akshay Manwani joining in for the fun. Manwani and the Hoopdarshan crew speak about Sim Bhullar's big desi breakthrough, discuss this golden era for NBA fans in India, settle debates like the season's MVP, potential title-contenders, and more.
Akshay Manwani's writings on popular Indian culture and on sports have appeared in The Caravan, Man’s World, Mumbai Mirror, Business Standard, NBA.com/India and AOL India. Akshay also worked for the BCCI and has covered the ICC CWC 2011, the Indian Premier League (2011 and 2012) and the Champions League T20 (2010, 2011 and 2012). His first work of non-fiction, a biography of yesteryear poet-lyricist, Sahir Ludhianvi, was published by HarperCollins in December 2013. You can follow him on Twitter: @AkshayManwani.
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.
First, the good news: In a press release yesterday, the NBA announced that they have partnered with Multi Screen Media (MSM) for a multi-year television broadcast deal in India. Continuing over from last year, MSM’s new sports channel Sony SIX will continue to show live NBA games in India all season. There will be a lot more than games actually: SIX will broadcast some original NBA programming, and more interestingly, focus on customised NBA programmes from India itself. This, the NBA says, will help focus on engaging Indian youth by bringing together talent from the NBA, Sony Entertainment, and Bollywood.
NBA Press Release: The National Basketball Association (NBA) hosted the Train the Trainer programme at PYC Gymkhana in Pune on Monday, June 11, with some of the top basketball coaches from the city being part of the training session.
The Train the Trainers programme, a part of the 2012 Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA basketball development programme in India saw in attendance numerous coaches for the two day session hosted by Troy Justice, Sr. Director, Basketball Operations, NBA International.
The two day programme featured on-court clinics and classroom sessions aiming to provide the coaches with additional training skills for the development of players from a skills and fitness perspective.
The sessions also featured the NBA’s first-ever Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA India-focused training video. The 75 minute DVD, shot in India with local players, including videos illustrating fundamental skill development, advanced offensive moves, and fitness training. Each coach attending the ‘Train the Trainer’ session received a copy of the DVD.
The attending coaches were also informed of the dedicated Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA microsite on NBA.com/India that will provide all coaches and physical education instructors access to videos, photos and other materials to reinforce proper training technique.
Train the Trainer programmes have already been held in Delhi, Chennai, and Mumbai. The next and final programme of this year will held in Chandigarh.
NBA Press Release: The National Basketball Association (NBA) in India hosted the Train the Trainer programme at JJ Stadium in Chennai on Sunday, June 3, with some of the top coaches from the city participating in the training session.
The Train the Trainers program, a part of the 2012 Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA basketball development programme in India saw in attendance numerous coaches for the two day session hosted by Troy Justice, Sr. Director, Basketball Operations, NBA International.
The two day programme featured on-court clinics and classroom sessions aiming to provide the coaches with additional training skills for the development of players from a skills and fitness perspective.
The sessions also featured the NBA’s first-ever Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA India-focused training video. The 75 minute DVD, shot in India with local players, including videos illustrating fundamental skill development, advanced offensive moves, and fitness training. Each coach attending the ‘Train the Trainer’ session received a copy of the DVD.
The attending coaches were also informed of the dedicated Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA microsite on NBA.com/India that will provide all coaches and physical education instructors access to videos, photos and other materials to reinforce proper training technique.
The Train the Trainer programme will also be held in Mumbai, Pune and Chandigarh.
NBA PRESS RELEASE: The NBA hosted the first Train the Trainer programme at Delhi Public School (RK Puram) from Sunday, May 27th, with some of the top coaches from Delhi being part of the training session. This was the first event of the 2012 Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA basketball development programme which will be held across five Indian cities this year.
The two day programme featured on-court clinics and classroom sessions aiming to provide the coaches with additional training skills for the development of players from a skills and fitness perspective. NBA India's officials Troy Justice and Eban Hyams helped lead the sessions.
The sessions also featured the NBA’s first-ever Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA India-focused training video. The 75 minute DVD, shot in India with local players, including videos illustrating fundamental skill development, advanced offensive moves, and fitness training. Each coach attending the ‘Train the Trainer’ session received a copy of the DVD.
The attending coaches were also informed of the dedicated Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA microsite on NBA.com/India that will provide all coaches and physical education instructors access to videos, photos and other materials to reinforce proper training technique.
The Train the Trainer programme will also be held in Chennai, Mumbai, Pune and Chandigarh.
About exactly a month ago, I was lucky enough to be able to attend a defining chapter in the beginning of a new rivalry. After picking up Chris Paul, the LA Clippers have skyrocketed up, both in excitement and in results. But the Clippers share their arena with another team in Los Angeles - a team that has a far more glittering past - the Lakers. Even with age catching up to them, Kobe, Gasol, Bynum, Metta World Peace, and the rest of the company are still quite a threat. On the other hand, Chris Paul brought along the charge with Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, and Caron Butler on his side.
The two teams played each other for the second time in the regular season on January 25th, 2012. It was a close and exciting game throughout, won 97-92 in the end by the big brothers - the Lakers - who were led by Pau Gasol and a clutch performance by Kobe Bryant, which overshadowed Griffin's bigh night.
Here are some photographs I clicked from the game (I was sitting way up in the highest pressbox!) and then later, from the Lakers locker room. I also wrote a detailed feature about this game and the growing battle of Los Angeles for my blog on NBA.com/India.
Pre-game National anthem... Here is the Staples Center!
Chris Paul leading the Clippers offense.
Blake Griffin trying to take on Pau Gasol 1-on-1
Kobe starting to takeover
Don't mess with World Peace!
Lakers locker room filled with media after the game
Pau Gasol getting interviewed postgame
And here he is, the Black Mamba himself... Kobe Bryant! I asked him if the Lakers and the Clippers are a rivalry now, to which he scoffed and answered, "Rivalries are only made in the playoffs!"
For those who have long followed this blog, fans of basketball in India and fans of the NBA, you may know that a lot of my posts also appear on SportsKeeda.com: the portal for sports fans and writers in India.
Starting this week, I will be officially joining SportsKeeda as a freelance writer. Keep checking SportsKeeda.com/Basketball for my features on India Basketball and the NBA.
Thanks for following and I hope you keep reading! I also write two features a week for NBA.com/India. You can follow me on Facebook and Twitter, where I'm a lot more interesting.
Yes, yes, my fellow NBA fans in Hindustan - or as I like to dub them, my fellow 'Hoopistanis'! - the NBA has finally released the live TV broadcast schedule for games in India. Rarely do early mornings excite me so, but it's time to get ready for a shortened season full of rising before the sun and NBA breakfasts!
Like last season, live games in India will once again be shown on Ten Sports & Sony PIX this year, as well as one game being streamed live per week on NBA.com/India. Bookmark this page for the full broadcast schedule of NBA games in India this season.
At this point, the NBA will be showing four live games on TV every week in India and an additional game streamed live on the NBA-India website. After the opening night blitz, PIX is scheduled to show live games on Thursday and Saturday morning, while Ten Sports will show games on Friday and Sunday morning. I'm optimistic that the game frequency will increase as the regular season progresses: by the end of last season, I remember that the TV channels in India were showing six live NBA games per week!
As you may already know by now, the NBA season starts with an absolute BANG on Christmas Day to help make up for the Lockout Dark Ages this offseason. Five games are scheduled on the NBA calender on December 25th, two of which will be shown in India. The first game of the year? Boston Celtics vs. my beloved New York Knicks on Ten Sports, live from the world's most famous arena, the Madison Square Garden, on Christmas Night. Yes, the last time I received a Christmas present so awesome was when my mother/Santa got me He-Man's Castle Grayskull toy in 1989. A few hours later, in the wee hours of the morning of December 26th, PIX will be showing two of the most historically popular franchises open their season against each other: Bulls @ Lakers!
If you're like me, you're probably going to try and watch as many live games as possible this year. But if you can't, here is my list of can't-miss NBA regular season games to be shown on PIX and Ten Sports live this year:
December 25th 10:30 PM: Celtics @ Knicks (Ten Sports) - Can it get any better for me as a Knicks and an NBA fan? The first game this season features my favourite team, freshly rebooted with the addition NBA champion Center Tyson Chandler from the Mavs, taking on one of the NBA's most stories franchises, the Celtics. There are enough Celtic fans in India to enjoy this matchup: Rondo, Ray, KG and Pierce versus Melo, Amare, and Chandler. But this game is more than an exciting start to the season: with the Knicks getting stronger and the Celtics getting older, this could be a big statement to determine who becomes the best team in the Atlantic Division. Remember, it was Boston who swept the Knicks in the first round of last season's playoffs. Will the Knicks beat their most immediate division rivals and announce their place amongst the contenders? Or will the Celtics show the world that they haven't grown too old just yet?
December 26th 3:30 AM: Bulls @ Lakers (PIX) - One team on the rise, is the other on the fall? The league's reigning MVP Derrick Rose takes his squad to the Staples Center to take on the Kobe and the Lakers. All eyes will be on how Lakers will respond to their strange off-season, where they lost the legendary coach Phil Jackson, didn't get Chris Paul, traded away an unhappy Lamar Odom, and are still mulling about sending out Andrew Bynum in exchange for Dwight Howard. Bynum won't play this game - suspended for his JJ Barea clothesline from last season - but it will be a chance for Kobe and Gasol to show they have enough in their tank. Plus, it will be the regular season debut of a man named Metta World Peace or formerly, Ron Artest. Chicago were the league's best regular season team last year. Can D-Rose set a positive tone for this season with a win on opening night?
December 30th 6:30 AM: Mavericks @ Thunder (Ten Sports) - A rematch of last year's conference finals and your first look at the reigning NBA champions Mavericks and the Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki. We'll get to see how the Mavs carry themselves with the target of being champions, especially now that they're without Chandler and Barea, but reloaded with Lamar Odom and Vince Carter. On the other side, you have OKC Thunder, everyone's favourite young team who is now a year older and a year wiser. To rise to become the best in the west, the Thunder has to go through the Mavs - are they up to it yet?
December 31st 9 AM: Bulls @ Clippers (PIX) - Your first look at the new look Clippers, plus an excellent battle between the NBA's two best point guards, Derrick Rose vs. Chris Paul. This game is sure to be a firecracker, and what a way to say goodbye to 2011!
January 20th 6:30 AM: Lakers @ Heat (Ten Sports) - Kobe vs. LeBron. Did I say Kobe vs. LeBron? I don't think any further selling points are needed. But if you need another, then there's Dwyane Wade, too.
January 26th 9 AM: Clippers @ Lakers (PIX) - The New Battle of Los Angeles. For the first time in like, ever, both LA teams are strong. Are Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and the Clippers good enough to defeat the bigger brothers? Expect real fireworks and the start of a great rivalry of two exciting teams who share the same home court. Plus, remember that Chris Paul was nearly a Laker. This is gonna be epic.
January 27th 6:30 AM Celtics @ Magic (Ten Sports) - Will Dwight Howard still be a Magic player by this game? (what do you call a Magic player, anyways? A magician?) How will the old Celtics be dealing with a packed, grueling schedule this time of the year? I have many questions - this game will answer some.
February 23rd 7:30 AM: Warriors @ Suns (PIX) - Don't bother waking up for this if you like defense.
March 30th 5:30 AM: Mavericks @ Heat (Ten Sports) - After opening night, this will be the second match-up of the season between the last 2 NBA finalists. What is interesting is that this game falls so late in the season, and thus, a lot will be at stake. Depending on how the regular seasons are proceeding for the two teams, this game could even determine home court advantage if the two teams are to meet in the Finals again. I'll have my eye on how LeBron responds to his awful performances versus the Mavs in the Finals. Will Dirk/Terry/Marion etc still hold the psychological advantage over him?
April 21st 7:30 AM: Thunder @ Kings (PIX) - This could be a battle between two teams on the opposite ends of the spectrum in the Western conference, but it will also be a battle between two very exciting young teams. Thunder you know all about, but I'm excited for the Kings for this upcoming year: between Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins, and the newly-added rookie Jimmer Fredette, the Kings will at least entertain (even when they lose).
I am also happy to announce that I will be back as a feature writer for NBA.com/India this season, and will be reviewing a lot of the games that I watch live here. What games are you most looking forward to watching this year?
If you're an NBA fan in India, I'm excited to announce that your weekly NBA analysis on NBA-India is about to get twice as nice! Starting this week, I will be doing two weekly articles for the NBA-India website. In addition to the feature article I write towards the end of every week, I will now have a Tuesday morning column called 'NBA Eye from an Indian Guy', a recap of all the NBA games broadcasted in India over the past week.
With the new and improved broadcasting deals for NBA in India, I have more and more reason to lose sleep, wake up at unearthly hours of the morning, and rub my eyes through live NBA action. Four, and sometimes five NBA games are now being shown in India every week, and I try to watch most of the action from most of these games. This column should give fans a chance to get a (very short) recap of the weekly matches.
In the first installment of this series, I talk about how it isn't just Kevin Durant that's made OKC Thunder a contender, I take a look at the Bulls' statement in Boston, and yes, much more!
I hope you're not sick of me yet, because if you are, this bit of news might actually cause a sourly belch in your stomach.
Now that we have that lovely visual out of the way(!), I want to announce that for the 2010-11 NBA Season, I will be writing a weekly feature for NBA.com/India, the National Basketball Association's micro-site for its fans in India. So stay updated for regular NBA articles in the Hoopistani flavour. The articles will also be displayed if you access NBA.com from India.
Done belching yet? Now start reading. First article goes up this Friday.
In large pockets of America, basketball is more than a sport — it is a part of everyday life. A basketball court is a social center, basketball shoes are essential fashion accessories, and hip-hop music/culture remains eternally intertwined with the game. In such cultures, “playing ball” is more than being in a professional league, a college tournament, or as part of a fitness regime — “playing ball” starts from the grassroots, it’s a recreational activity, just something to do, something embedded deeply in the lifestyle.
The English, and other Europeans, and South Americans have football — the soccer kind of football — it is for them a recreation, a get-together with friends, the perfect pastime.
In India, our favorite pastime is cricket. Every thin lane, or gullie in India is a cricket pitch, every wooden stick a bat, every round object a ball. It is deeply embedded in modern Indian culture — the majority of Indian societies see children having impromptu cricket matches in their neighborhood, by the ghats of the Ganga, every barren field is a stadium, cricket references and metaphors have become part of everyday speak in the country, and get-togethers in roadside tea-shops only discuss cricket scores.
The result of our addiction with cricket is that it has become the biggest thing in India since Butter Chicken. Cricket apparel rules in athletic stores across the country, the majority of sport news in India is about cricket, and every Indian from every strata of society unites under the banner of cricket. That is why India is now one of the strongest cricket teams in the world, Indian players the world’s best, and the Indian Premier League (IPL) of cricket the world’s richest.
So when the NBA decided to tap the 1.2 billion strong Indian market to popularize basketball, they knew they were up against some tough competition. After launching an NBA-India website, their most recent development has been a deal with rich industrial conglomerate Mahindra Group to launch a recreational league in three Indian cities: Mumbai, Bangalore, and Ludhiana. The league will tip off in a month’s time and will last for seven weeks.
Eventually the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) plans to launch school and college leagues with the NBA’s guidance to promote the sport amongst the youth. When I spoke to BFI president Harish Sharma, he said the idea is to use the school, college, and city recreational league as a launch-pad to eventually develop a professional basketball league in India in three years time.
Yes, these efforts are going to increase urban interest for basketball in India, but will it really influence more people to love basketball the same way they love cricket? Everyone interested in the development of basketball in India (BFI, NBA, and those working for the game on a local level) admit their eventual goal is to make it the second favorite sport in the country, but even for that to happen, the game has to be more culturally ingrained into our lifestyles.
I believe what is really needed is a grassroots movement, a movement to make basketball more than a game but a culture. Why does the NBA, for example, sell so easily in a country like the Philippines? NBA players have created waves in the Philippines for years, including the famous Gilbert Arenas trip a few years ago. The answer: So influenced by Americanism, basketball is part of everyday lifestyle in the Philippines, bringing with it its swagger, the hip-hop culture, and NBA fanaticism.
For India, one such movement to popularize basketball into rural and grassroots lifestyle is the Sumpoorna Basketball School. Sumpoorna is the name of a basketball camp — or like its founder Subhash Mahajan likes to call “a grassroots basketball revolution” — that has been slowly growing in small, rural town of Tumkur in Southern India over the past five years. Driven by a lifelong love of basketball, Mahajan has set up this basketball camp mostly for small town and village youth, which has grown over the years to have taught basketball basics to up to 6,000 youngsters around the rural area, and launched the Sumpoorna Basketball Tournament where dozens of small school and recreational teams compete against each other.
Mahajan, who is from Kapurthala in Punjab, spent nearly three decades as a basketball coach before setting up the Sumpoorna School in 2005. He chose Tumkur, which is a village near the much-larger and richer city of Bangalore, in Karnataka.
“In India, sports and money are not compatible,” Mahajan said, “Unless of course, that sport is cricket. Selling the game of basketball amongst city kids in posh schools might change the commercial culture, but the love of the sport has to come from the grassroots level — it seems that I’m fighting this battle alone.”
“In India, kids below Grade 9 can still be engaged in basketball and taught the basics — unfortunately, after that, they have to turn toward their ‘real life’, their studies, their other career, and basketball fades away.”
Mahajan’s camp is a unique concept for India — it is a summer camp of basketball skills in a rural area. He has spent his own money into a large basketball campus, where he already has three courts and is now investing for 13 more. Kids who join the camp for around five days, where they stay in residence and play ball, all day.
As the awareness and interest for the game has spread, Mahajan has been able to organize large tournaments, and is looking to get larger. “We want to tie up with more schools, especially from the bigger cities, so that they can learn basics. I want them to live the game and not just play it.” A major step that Mahajan is looking to take with Sumpoorna is to invite senior basketball players in India to oversee and promote the Sumpoorna tournaments.
Another unique feature of the Sumpoorna tournaments has been that the games are played without refs. Indian sport has an unfortunate reputation of being shrouded in corruption and bias — and the referees have regularly been the ones footing the blame for unfair calls and pre-meditated results. The injustice was highlighted a little more than a month ago, when the referees and officials were accused of helping the home team at a major national university tournament. At Sumpoorna, the players are expected to resolve the calls amongst themselves, and more often than not, the system works.
“The players from the age 9 onwards are taught to self referee and agree on consensual play,” he said, “It is basketball at its best — the way we played it here forty years ago.”
Mahajan is from an old-school brand of hoop lovers who played the game because they were addicted to the game, and even after his prime, he could never leave the game behind. With Sumpoorna, he has been able to provide a platform through which youngsters can become hoop addicts from an early age, and as they grow, basketball becomes part of their cultural upbringing.
If these efforts are complemented by the popularization of the game in urban India, we could be heading toward a future where basketball could become a more common pastime, and as the number of players grows, the quality of basketball will eventually improve, too.
Sitting courtside at the NBA All Star Game at the Dallas Cowboys stadium in Arlington, Harish Sharma, the secretary general of the Basketball Federation of India (BFI), was more awestruck by the scenes off the court than the superstars on it. Off the court sat the biggest crowd to ever attend a basketball game – a mind-boggling, Guinness-Book-of-Records shattering 108,713 people.
That is more than 1 lakh, 8 thousand in Indian terms.
“I have never seen a crowd this big at a basketball game,” Sharma said, “It was amazing. I was happy and excited to see that basketball can draw such a huge number.”
The All Star Weekend in Dallas was just one of the many basketball-related activities that Sharma took part in during his eight-day tour of the US last month. Sharma represented Indian basketball as he traveled from city to city, watching players, meeting NBA officials, and plotting a future for basketball in India.
No, there is no chance that a crowd of over 1 lakh will show up for a basketball game in India anytime soon. Hell – that kind of crowd doesn’t even show up for NBA games – the All Star was only an exception. Nevertheless, Sharma was left moved and motivated – basketball has a future, in the USA, in India, and all around the world.
One of his most ambitious projects is, with the co-operation of the NBA, to begin a two or three city school and college league in India later this year, which would eventually lead to a full-scale professional basketball league in around three years time.
I finally caught up with Sharma yesterday for a brief interview. Basketball may still be a fringe sport in terms of national consciousness in India, but Sharma and the efforts of others in BFI ooze in confidence, promising a bright future for the game here.
Hoopistani: I know you attended the recently concluded Ramu Memorial Basketball Tournament in Mumbai – what were your thoughts on the level of basketball there?
Sharma: The level at Ramu was good, but a lot of other good teams and players were not able to participate. It was the offseason and the tournament was being held immediately after the National Basketball Championship. Still, I was satisfied by the improving talent of our basketball players.
Hoopistani: Let’s talk about your visit to the US. How long were you there for? What was on your agenda?
Sharma: I spent 8 days in the USA, from the 11th-18th of February. It was a busy trip, as I met several top-level officials of the NBA, including NBA commissioner David Stern. I attended the All Star Game in Dallas. I also got to meet [basketball coach and entrepreneur] JD Walsh, and discussed the George Mason University programme with the help of which we hope to send Indian coaches to get trained in America. I was in Tampa, Florida to observe other basketball systems, and even kept my eye on non-resident-Indians, the Bhullar brothers, play a game in Philadelphia.
Sharma: We totally support his work here. We open our arms to anyone who can come here and help Indian basketball.
Hoopistani: Now, the NBA has been increasing interest in India over the last few years, with programmes such as Basketball Without Borders that was held a few years ago and the launch of the new NBA-India website at the end of last year. What is the future of the NBA with India?
Sharma: The NBA have started a partnership with BFI, and we are looking to share a vision of basketball in India with them. We are seeking their help from them in developing basketball in the country in various ways. There will probably be a follow-up Basketball Without Borders programme very soon. One of our main agendas is to launch a pilot school and college city basketball league.
Hoopistani: Can you please tell me more about this project? When will it be launched?
Sharma: This school/college basketball league will be launched later this year in two or three cities in India. We are definitely looking for a school league in New Delhi and a college league in Chennai. We may increase the number of cities if the response to our request to the sponsors/marketing people requires it. Hopefully we can come up with some good basketball in these leagues. The NBA is helping us to run this and make sure that we follow it in the correct way.
Hoopistani: What about professional leagues? Do you think we should have a basketball league in India that mirrors the NBA or the Indian Premier League (IPL) of Twenty-20 cricket?
Sharma: Absolutely! A professional basketball league in India is definitely our goal. That is why the school/college league will play the part of a nursery to develop more future basketball players. My trip to the USA was one of our efforts to learn about how to develop such a league in India. Give it maybe three years, and such a league could become a reality.
Hoopistani: One problem in India with basketball is getting enough sponsors to support the project. Do you think these proposed leagues would have the necessary support?
Sharma: Yes, sponsorship is always a hindrance for such projects – but we have the NBA’s support, and are working hard to get sponsors to help launch this league.
Hoopistani: How has basketball evolved in India over the last few decades, ever since you were a player? (Sharma was part of the Indian national team in the 70s, representing the country in tournaments such as the Youth Asian Championships and the Indo-German series).
Sharma: A lot has changed. Basketball is a lot more popular in India now. There is more basketball on TV, more players, more tournaments, and more schools are involved. There will always be arguments between the old-school and new-school, and which is better, but there is no denying that the facilities are better now, the courts are better. There are more manufacturers producing basketball goods – I remember that as a player, we had to get our shorts get custom made by the tailors because we couldn’t find the right gear in the market!
Hoopistani: What do you see for the future in Indian basketball?
Sharma: India has progressed – we must dedicate a lot of effort into the game. India will very soon come into a big space in basketball. One of our main aims is to make sure our players are better rewarded. They deserve more for playing the game, and I’m sure that in the near future, there will be much better incentive and reward for Indian basketball players. But players have to also understand their responsibility. The federation and sponsors may do all they can, but in the end, it all comes down to the performance of the players. Only their performance can really shape the future of Indian basketball – and I’m confident that they can do it!
Here is an article of mine that was recently published on SLAMOnline.com. It is an extended of my earlier post NBA.com/India(!!)
While researching for any recent news concerning the NBA’s growing interest in India, I discovered a short video on YouTube, where a bumbling journalist for NDTV (one of India’s best-known news channels) finds Shaq in Phoenix, and asks him a thing or two about NBA in India. Shaq stoically answered superficial questions about promoting the game in India, adding sometime along the lines of India and the NBA needing each other… “We need to come out there and have a couple of games…”
Soon after, the interviewer dropped a gem of a question, which started off with, “Now, you know in India, you’re known as much for Space Jam as you are for your slam dunks…”. And a few seconds later, adds, “Now again, you have a lot of rap fans, a lot of fans in India. Do you want to do a little rap for your fans?" Shaq’s ‘rap’ went something like this: “I just wanna say I love you / See you / Peace.”
I laughed for a few long minutes after this, took a deep breath, and then laughed some more. This is the knowledge of NBA in India, through one of the countries ‘best-informed’ media houses: Shaq was in Space Jam (apparently, nobody else but me tuned in during that July afternoon back in 2006 when HBO-India showed Kazaam. But what the hell, even I tuned out when Shaq started to rap in that Aladdin costume.
I may be picking cynically over one or two simple mistakes by that journalist, but the general mainstream awareness in the Indian media about the NBA isn’t too far from this. Except for the fringe population of basketball nerds, most NBA fans in India don’t know the Chris Bosh from the Chris Paul, the Baron from the Ricky, and wonder why the NBA sent a 65 million year old Triceratops named Mutombo to inaugurate basketball courts here.
Despite the ignorance and disinterest of the Indian audiences, it would be fair to say that, so far, the NBA’s efforts in India haven’t been commendable, especially in the last two years. It all really got into gear in July 2008, when Dominique Wilkins, Sam Perkins, Kyle Korver, Ronny Turiaf, Linton Johnson and Pat Garrity toured India as part of a Basketball Without Borders program to promote basketball and oversee an Asian youth camp that was held in New Delhi. Wait, did I say Dominique Wilkins? Dominique Fr*ggin Wilkins came to India, and yes, Dominic Fr*ggin Wilkins left after nothing but a minor whimper of fanfare. I guess we were too busy watching Shaq dunk over Bugs Bunny, huh?
There was an even bigger star that visited the Indian shores in recent years… Back in the summer of 2006, an adidas sponsored event landed none other than Kevin Garnett here, as part of KG’s promotional visit to India and China. His whirlwind tour touched several parts of the country, and I was lucky to crash his visit to a school in New Delhi and ask KG (then unsettled at the Timberwolves) to join the Knicks. He laughed.
In April this year things started to heat up – the NBA started to webcast live playoff games in India by offering free previews and specialized subscription packages. Around the same time, world famous virgin and three-time NBA champion AC Green was sent to India by the NBA to feature in court dedications in Mumbai. When interviewed, Green called for a professional league in India.
Things looking up? The NBA began looking to open an office in India, and a blink of an eye later, December 2009 falls upon us, and here comes Deke! Mount Mutombo, in all his prehistoric glory, was next, inaugurating basketball courts in Mumbai and Chennai a couple of weeks ago.
But the biggest news followed just a few days later: The NBA formally launched its India website: NBA.com/India, and all of a sudden, I was watching the NBA Commish greeting Indian basketball fans, expressing joy, hope, delight, etc…
The website is a humble, low-maintenance version of the NBA’s official website: its designed to target new or emerging basketball fans, with features such as video highlights, basic NBA rules, and Basketball 101 about things that most fans may find obvious: How to shoot the perfect free throw? What the hell is a ‘Sixth Man’? Court Dimensions? Etc, etc… The website even has some material in Hindi, although there have been complaints about inaccuracies with their usage of the Devanagiri script.
Another feature will be the Point-Counterpoint Blog, kept by two of my favorite NBA PGs, Steve Nash and Baron ‘I’ll forever make Andrei Kirilenko’s descendants shiver’ Davis. I know, information overload, isn’t it?
What really interests me is the feature of Thursday Live Game Webcasts, which began with the Wizards playing the Kings (my friend’s supposedly ‘excellent’ broadband connection couldn’t pick it up though, so instead I followed Live Box Scores on Yahoo! Sports. Sad, yes, I know.) If this venture is eventually successful, real NBA fans here will be able to watch an additional live game every week, adding to the measly two we get Friday and Saturday mornings.
The potential is great… But will the Indian media and fans embrace it? Why should they embrace a game where non-Indian cities take on other non-Indian cities with non-Indian players, anyways?
Well, because, firstly, China did it. And secondly, there’s the English Premier League…
I like to compare the “coming of the NBA” to the outrageously over-the-top coming of the English Premier League (EPL — football to the uninitiated, soccer to the American) to India: not only do ESPN/STAR Sports show five or six EPL games a week, they also have several talk shows, magazine shows, and highlight shows talking about the EPL matches in great depth. These shows are regularly directed at the Asian/Indian audience which makes them even more fun to watch for the football fan here.
The EPL was always on its way here — teams like Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea easily have large audiences in India, and players like the (now departed) Cristiano Ronaldo, Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, Cesc Fabregas, etc., etc., etc., give our audiences icons to look up to. The excitement has spilled out including fan-followings of the star-studded Real Madrid and Barcelona teams in the Spanish Primera Liga.
But it’s not like the NBA has a lack of potential icons — as a matter of fact, it is literally TEEMING with it. You could play like LeBron or Kobe, like Wade or Dwight or Chris Paul, or Kevin Garnett or Duncan. There are flashy dunks, no-look passes, game winners, and old-school entertainers/favorites like Iverson or Shaq (I cringe and feel archaic as I say that: Shaq and AI are OLD SCHOOL?)
But the final goal, at least the way I see it, shouldn’t be just commercialization of the NBA, but popularization of basketball as a whole in the country. I recently contacted JD Walsh, the founder of the JDBasketball movement who has spent the last three years in India as a coach, talent scout, and a promoter of basketball in India. “I do hope that the NBA [site] will provide a new introspective to cultivate NBA fans in India,” JD said, “I do think the internet in India will need to grow some before its really significant — which it will. A good litmus of the trajectory of increasing basketball popularity in India will be not only be seen on NBA blogs but on the sites of others writing about the grassroots play of India–and more kids playing the game.”
The website will have to become a stalwart to accelerate the slow integration of basketball in Indian culture. The Basketball Federation of India (BFI) had this to say (source: Techwhack): “There is a great appetite for basketball across India and the sites will offer Indian fans the opportunity to learn more about the NBA and basketball in India. Basketball is one of the fastest-growing sports in India.”
That it is, and in typical NBA.com style, we can expect a lot of fluffy, everything-about-the-NBA-is-awesome reporting from the India site, but hey, it’s a start. The NBA has appointed two featured India bloggers: Experienced DNA sports journalist Ayaz Memon and Hindustan Times correspondent Sahil Sharma. Here’s to hoping that their efforts help the awareness of the game blossom here.
More news for NBA and basketball fans in India... I guess the NBA wasn't satisfied with just sending Deke here: Late last night, the NBA launched NBA.com/India, a website catered towards the Indian audience. According to an article released on The Times of India website last night, the website "... will offer a comprehensive fan experience including live games, video highlights, select Hindi content, player blogs and original columns from two India-based NBA journalists". So, what does this mean? Initially, a bit of hoopla, some excitement, etc. But all that real NBA fans are really interested in are more live games broadcasted here. Two a week doesn't even start to whet our appetites... I like to compare the "coming of the NBA" to the outrageously over-the-top coming of the English Premier League (EPL - football to the uninitiated, soccer to the American) to India: not only do ESPN/STAR Sports show five or six EPL games a week, they also have several talk shows, magazine shows, and highlight shows talking about the EPL matches in great depth. These shows are regularly directed at the Asian/Indian audience which make them even more fun to watch for the football fan here. The EPL was always on its way here - teams are Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Chelsea easily have large audiences in India, and players like the (now departed) Christiano Ronaldo, Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, Cesc Fabregas, etc, etc, etc, give our audiences icons to look up to. But its not like the NBA has a lack of potential icons - as a matter of fact, it is literally TEEMING with it. You could play like LeBron or Kobe, like Wade or Dwight, or Chris Paul or Kevin Garnett or Duncan if you're old school. There are flashy dunks, no-look passes, game winners, and if you're yet older school, there's Iverson or Shaq (I cringe and feel pre-historic as I say that: Shaq and AI are OLD SCHOOL?) NBA.com/India opens with a welcome message from our friendly neighbourhood NBA commissioner David Stern telling India fans how awesome the website is/how awesome us Indian fans are. Great. We are told about all the coolness the website will pack, but what really interests me are the Live Online Game Webcasts every Thursday, starting with Wizards @ Kings day after tommorow. At this point, I mentally shouted out a little "Hibachi" to myself. Here is Mr. Stern's welcoming welcome:
Another feature will be the Point-Counterpoint Blog, kept by two of my favourite NBA PG's, Steve 'Stee' Nash and Baron 'I'll forever make Andrei Kirilenko's descendents shiver' Davis. I know, information overload, isn't it? The Basketball Federation of India (BFI) had this to say (source: Techwhack): “There is a great appetite for basketball across India and the sites will offer Indian fans the opportunity to learn more about the NBA and basketball in India. Basketball is one of the fastest-growing sports in India.” That it is, and in typical NBA.com style, we can expect a lot of fluffy, everything-about-the-NBA-is-awesome reporting from the India site, but hey, it's a start. The NBA has appointed two featured India bloggers: Experienced DNA sports journalist Ayam Memon and Hindustan Times correspondent Sahil Sharma. Here's to hoping that their efforts help the game blossom here. Additionally, the NBA has also launched a mobile site for India: m.nba.com/india which will also have news, scores, standings, etc...
What do you feel about the NBA India? Share your thoughts here...
