Fadeaway World went to the 2023 NBA Abu Dhabi Games and got a chance to speak with NBA Asia & India Managing Director Ramez Sheikh and NBA Asia-PAC Head Of Strategy, Country Head – India Rajah Chaudhry as part of a media roundtable about the growth of basketball in India.
Since 2011, NBA India has made inroads into the sporting landscape in the country that is fervently dominated by cricket. They were instrumental in helping the first Indian NBA player, Satnam Singh Bhamara’s growth, which led to him being a second-round draft selection in 2015, as well as the growth of Princepal Singh, a member of the G League Ignite’s inaugural roster and a Summer League winner with the Sacramento Kings in 2021.
NBA India broke the barrier of 100 million unique viewers last season, spread out across all their broadcast and digital partners. This is reflective of the strong growth in the Indian fanbase, enamored with the league’s superstars. When asked about the promotion of NBA teams in the country, Ramez Sheikh eloquently explained the need to develop local heroes that the Indian fanbase can ultimately relate to.
Ishaan Bhattacharya: Is there a way of building a more team-oriented fanbase in India?
Ramez Sheikh: India is the land of heroes. It’s the land of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. One of our insights is how do we tell the stories of our heroes and our teams. I think we’re starting to do that through many initiatives, whether it’s the Style platform or tapping into India. What we focus on right now is developing local heroes and that will take time. The grassroots or the league performance, or anything in the middle, we want to contribute to the development of Indian male or female basketball players, but really heroes. That’s how we think about that. One of our goals for this season is to get better at storytelling. You’ll see that through our marketing, so it’s a fair point. We’re focused on heroes as part of the game and balancing our existing players in the NBA or the WNBA.
No other Indian player has cracked the NBA or WNBA since Satnam, with Princepal coming the closest. Ramez Sheikh elaborated on what is needed for India to produce another NBA star.
Ishaan Bhattacharya: What’s missing for an Indian talent to make the NBA?
Ramez Sheikh: Time. There are four hundred and fifty jobs in the NBA. Talent from all over the world, every year, are vying for 450 jobs. It’s one of the toughest places to get into from purely a numbers perspective. The short answer is that we need more time to develop. There are no shortcuts to making the NBA. In India, there are no shortcuts for our business. We have to earn it, and that will take time.
NBA India has worked towards the development of the Indian basketball culture, starting with their work at the grassroots level. The ACG-NBA Jump Program allows them to scout talent for the NBA Academy India. They also partner with the Reliance Foundation for the Jr. NBA Program, which launched in 2013. Since then, the program has reached more than 11 million youth and 13,000 physical education instructors across 34 cities nationwide.
Ishaan Bhattacharya: Is there a focus on improving coaching in India through programs like the ‘Coaches Clinic’
Rajah Chaudhry: We’ve been thinking about this for some time. We did execute it this year, and we want to do more on that front. I think the key is consistency in other parts of the ecosystem. Whether it’s coaching or refereeing. Another adjustment we made this year was making it more of a competition. We want to lean in on making it a competition. Indian players tend to play a lot less than their US counterparts. The more we can improve competition domestically, it’s one of the things we haven’t done enough of. It’s not just on us. Increasingly, we are seeing more support from other parts of the basketball ecosystem in India and we realize we can’t do this alone. It’s not on the NBA to do everything regarding basketball in India, but we’re trying. We have our role to play, we’ve been at it for some time, and as Ramez said, it’s going to take more time.
The NBA has been actively working on talent development around the world. One of their best efforts to that front was the Basketball Africa League, founded in 2019 with their first season taking place in 2021, to ensure the league can boost the basketball culture in the country. Similar efforts have eluded India, and Chaudhry explained why.
Ishaan Bhattacharya: What about a BAL-style pro league in India?
Rajah Chaudhry: We’re working towards that. There are some steps that need to come before. I don’t have the details of what we’re planning, but we are thinking through what other stepping stones are in place to help develop talent, and as I said, move them towards more competition. I think that’s something we’ve learned over the last 10 years… We’re working with some other stakeholders in the ecosystem to see how we develop more competitive programs that will allow kids to progress.
The growth of basketball in India has been a sight to see, but all their goals still seem to require many years before tuition. Steps have to be incremental, but the league looks motivated to establish the sport as the one with the second-biggest fanbase in the country while strengthening the talent network that can one day deliver international glory for the country.
The 2023/24 NBA season will air live in India on JioCinema and Sports18 – 1.
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