The NBA has purchased a small 3 x 3 bright blue and bright red portable basketball court that they’ll be using to tour around India in September and October. The ‘Sport Court portable‘ courts will be transported from city to city and used for tournaments. Some NBA officials, including Natalie Ali, will be traveling to witness the games. Event partners include Adidas, HP, Sprite, and Spalding. The...

So Much Potential, So Far to Go 17-year old Is Poised to Be Asia’s Next Star By Pete Thamel for The New York Times The New York Times, Sunday, July 17, 2011 NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — When the 7-foot-4 center Sim Bhullar walks through airports, people flock to him and ask him to pose for pictures. When he recently visited India, where his parents were born, so many approached him at the Sikh shrine known as the Golden...

Over the past 5 years, a handful of current and former NBA players have traveled to India.  Below is a list of the most notable players, the year they visited, and direct quotes from them regarding their experiences of basketball in India. Kevin Garnett (2006) I have learned to respect and appreciate the culture in India. People here are just as excited about basketball as we are in the states.  Truly amazing how far...

The FIBA Men’s and Women Asia Championship will be held later this year at Wuhan, Hubei, China. The 2011 FIBA Asia Championship for Men is the qualifying tournament for Asia at the men’s basketball tournament in the 2012 Summer Olympics in England. The preliminary squad has 25 players, including possibly India’s best player, 20-year old guard Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, high flying Talwinderjit Singh Sahi,...

India Abroad, May 2011 Indian basketball star Geethu Anna Jose faces her toughest challenge yet in the WNBA tryouts. By: Shobha Warrier Even at 8AM, the heat at the Nehru stadium in Chennai was debilitating, sapping the body, draining the soul.  But Geethu Anna Jose, 25, did not show it: bowed in concentration, she focused on her practice session, on for 2 hours already, with Troy Justice, director of India operations...

Sim Bhullar, the Indian-Canadian high school basketball stand out, has committed to the Xavier Musketeers. Standing at 7’4”, weighing in at approximately 330 lbs, Sim is “a massive post prospect, with a great set of hands and impressive touch around the basket. It will be interesting to see how he fits into [Xavier head coach] Chris Mack’s system” says Scout.com. “It was a great situation for me...

Queens, NY – South Asian Youth Action (SAYA!) will host its 3rd Annual Hoops for Hope Basketball Tournament on Saturday, April 30, 2011 at its Center in Elmhurst, Queens. Hoops for Hope was created in 2009 by Vishnu Murthy and Usman Ahmed, SAYA! volunteers, to demonstrate unity of South Asian Americans in response to the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India. The tournament is organized by SAYA!’s Young...

“It’s always been my childhood dream to watch the NBA games. I’m a crazy basketball fan and I’m so glad the dream was realized. It was an awesome experience.” - Abhishek Bachchan Abhishek Bachchan was in Los Angeles for the Oscars, and, being a fan of hoops, he also attended the NBA All Star Game. As one of India’s leading Bollywood actors, the son of living legend Amitabh Bachchan, and...

DREAM OPPORTUNITY FOR SKILLED AMATEUR AND SEMI-PRO BASKETBALL PLAYERS! HOLLYWOOD, CA Radical Media and Budweiser are teaming up with award-winning producer Evan Weinstein (“The Amazing Race”) to create an exciting new reality show offering some lucky basketball players the chance to take the court to play alongside legends of the game. “We’re looking for players who have the ability to compete at the highest...