1985, the popularity of basketball in China was similar to what it is India today. Recognizing that China had the world’s largest potential fan base, many grass roots efforts were made by the Chinese government, local organizations, and the NBA, to promote the game of basketball. Today, largely accelerated by the international pop star success of Yao Ming, - NBA China is a 2 Billion-dollar organization, according...

Railways guard Prakash Mishra, fished out of Indore – a fast-developing basketball nursery – highlights the hazy spotlight that falls on his sport. “In the cities, they are unwilling to give us even a first look, though NBA-popularity is at an all-time high. In villages, they confuse us with volleyball. We’ve never really got our own audience. It is a team-game, and there’s not much in it right now. But...

With Sikar as his starting point, Ramkumar, one of India’s best known shooters who hails from Kota, and is now the Indian Railways Coach, has taken it upon himself to go across the country scouting for the big boys. What Ramkumar has done through his champion Railways squad is to: hunt down talent from India’s remote interiors, polish their skills, and throw them into the exhibition ring, where the city-spectator...

Rajasthan cagers ruled on the national basketball scene in the 70’s, as the likes of Hanumant Singh Ajmer Singh, Khushiram, Radheshyam, and Surendra Katariya rose to prominence. At one time, the state boasted of four out of the five donning India colors. But the irony of these lofty giants occupying just a small corner of popular mindspace with their annual mention on the Arjuna Awards scroll was not lost in basketball...

The fact that a domestic tournament with only Indian stars could stir up such a frenzy means the sports can sell itself if marketed smartly. A professional league, comprising six to eight city-based teams, is expected to be inaugurated in India in the next six months, but without participation of the private sector, the game will take longer to shed its formal, annual sports-day image. With the game moving indoors –...