This year bore witness to the most bumper crop ever as far as NBA presence was concerned in India. Right from the Mahindra Challenge to the presence of NBA stars Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol and finally, the awesome NBA Jam sessions! For the quintessential NBA fan, it was a treat like no other. After having been parched of relevant NBA presence, the above has brought about a collective lift of spirits for the Indian NBA and basketball fan.
My only grievance is that although only small pockets of NBA fans exist in India, each is under the impression that their already small minority is even more miniscule. It’s no surprise that mainstream sports like cricket and football (in all fairness, only cricket can be truly considered mainstream) are doing great. These sports have a fan following stretching across the country, where on weekends, every bylane is witness to gully cricket or football. That kind of exposure is what is required for basketball – something that can easily be replicated. As Pau Gasol quipped that all one needed to do was pick up a basketball and start bouncing it. If only it was that simple.
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In my opinion, an Indian presence in the NBA can drastically change the nation’s outlook toward the sport. Chess (V. Anand), golf (J. Randhawa, JM Singh), tennis (Paes/Bhupathi, Mirza), badminton (Nehwal), Formula 1 (Force India/ Chandok) – all these sports have an Indian presence at the highest levels of competitiveness and therefore piques the nation’s curiosity because every Indian sure would love to know how a compatriot is faring at an international event.
What do you think guys? What’s the best approach possible to maximize basketball’s reach in our country?
