| Basketball in India | |
|---|---|
| Country |  India |
| Governing body | Basketball Federation of India |
| National team(s) | |
| Nickname(s) | Indian Cagers |
National competitions | |
Club competitions | |
| |
In India, basketball is a popular sport with a multiple club league system, as well as state and national teams. Indian basketball made significant improvements, most notably in 2015, making them one of the top emerging continental teams.
Basketball was brought to India in 1893–4 [1] [2] by Canadian T. Duncan Patton, [3] who later returned to India as the Acting General Secretary of the Calcutta YMCA from 1903 to 1905. The game was initially most popular among women, [4] although slow to spread. The country's first match is recorded as 1930 by some sources, [5] with the first Indian National Championship for men being held in 1934 in New Delhi. The Basketball Federation of India (BFI), which controls the game in India, was formed in 1950.
Basketball is played in most Indian high schools, colleges and universities. There is considerable patronage for the game among the younger generation. It is played by both men and women of all ages and ability. Many government institutions have professional basketball teams who play for them. For example, ONGC in Uttarakhand, Indian Overseas Bank in Tamil Nadu, Indian Bank in Karnataka, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited in New Delhi, Indian Railways, and Kerala State Electricity Board in Trivandrum play for their respective institution and state.
There are many championships for senior, junior, and youth levels for boys and girls. [6] Invitational all-India tournaments like Master Prithvinath Memorial, Don Bosco Invitational Tournament, Kiloi Invitational Tournament, Ramu Memorial and many other are being organised every year. Indian basketball has championships throughout the year for different age groups. Championships for youth are mainly between April and July when children have their summer break from school.
Basketball is especially popular among the Tibetan exile community in Dharamshala.
Being one of the earliest countries to adopt basketball, India has so far produced numerous talented basketballers who have earned recognition in the international arena. Indian players have also won several trophies for their country. Basketball in India is mainly being run and managed by a large number of national and state level associations, spread all over India. These basketball associations are working with a common view of popularising the game in all parts of the country. Apart from that, developing the overall infrastructure for the game and uncovering new talent from the grassroots level are some of the other principal objectives of the Indian basketball associations.
India's first ever professional basketball league UBA was started in 2015. UBA completed four seasons in India.
The Basketball Federation of India was established in 1950 [7] and is the official governing body of basketball in India. It follows FIBA rules for organising basketball championships and is affiliated to FIBA Asia and the Indian Olympic Association.
India created its first professional basketball league, titled Universal Basketball Alliance (UBA), in 2015. [8] The first winner of the UBA was Chennai Slam. [9] The tournament was folded in 2017 after it completed its fourth season and in 2022 the league was replaced with the EPBL and the developmental INBL.
The National Basketball Championship is national level basketball tournament for both men and women, organised by the Basketball Federation of India, contested among the regional state teams affiliated under the federation.
| Year | Recipient | Award | Gender |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Sarbjit Singh | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1967 | Khushi Ram | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1968 | Gurdial Singh | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1969 | Hari Dutt | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1970 | Gulam Abbas Moontasir | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1971 | M. M. Singh | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1973 | Surendra Kumar Kataria | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1974 | Anil Kumar Punj | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1975 | Hanuman Singh | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1977–1978 | T. Vijayaraghava | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1979–1980 | Om Prakash | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1982 | Ajmer Singh | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1983 | Suman Sharma | Arjuna Award | Female |
| 1983 | Radhey Shyam | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1999 | Sajjan Singh Cheema + | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 2001 | Parmender Singh | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 2014 | Geethu Anna Jose | Arjuna Award | Female |
| 2017 | Prashanti Singh | Arjuna Award | Female |
| 2020 | Vishesh Bhriguvanshi | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 2002 | Aparna Ghosh | Dhyan Chand Award | Female |
| 2003 | Ram Kumar | Dhyan Chand Award | Male |
+ Indicates a Lifetime contribution honour |
The National Basketball Association has realised the immense potential of the sport in this large and growing market, and is working hard with the Basketball Federation of India to expand its popularity.
Late in 2008, NBA great Robert Parish came to India as part of the NBA/WNBA Hoop School Program. This relationship further expanded into a cultural exchange, which saw Bollywood superstars Lara Dutta and Dino Morea make a trip to watch the Los Angeles Lakers in action, and on 8 April 2009, saw the NBA inaugurate a refurbished basketball court in a Mumbai suburb. [10]
In April 2015, Canadian Sim Bhullar made his professional debut in the NBA, [11] becoming the first player of Indian descent [12] in the league. Two months later, Satnam Singh Bhamara became the first Indian to ever be selected in the NBA by being the 52nd pick in the 2015 NBA draft for the Dallas Mavericks. [13] He'd also been the first player to be drafted as a high school postgraduate since 2005.[ citation needed ]
In April 2017, India on track (IOT) collaborated with NBA to form NBA Basketball Schools to train kids and teach them to play the NBA way. There are more than 12 centres running around the country from Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, and many more.
The first ever NBA games in India took place on 4 and 5 October 2019 at the NSCI Dome in Mumbai. [14] [15] The NBA India Games featured two preseason games between the Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers, and marked the first time that teams from a North American sports league played in India. [16]
In June 2010, a deal was struck with the Basketball Federation of India and the IMG-Reliance joint venture which aimed to take Indian basketball to a professional level. The 30-year deal sees IMG Reliance take control of the game launching a league, controlling merchandise, developing infrastructure and other commercial aspects in this new development. The BFI will launch and control school and college leagues with assistance from IMG. IMG Reliance will also construct academies in India in line with the IMG Florida sports academy. In July, coaches from Florida came to India to select 8 boys and girls between the ages of 13 and 15 to take to the US on a scholarship. The first batch was selected and is preparing to undertake the scholarship at IMG Florida. More scholarships will be offered with the aim of launching India's first professional league in four years. IMG chief Ted Fortsmann and Reliance owner Mukesh Ambani see the IPL as a perfect model to use.
One of the first people to have been accepted to the IMG Reliance program, Satnam Singh Bhamara, had also declared to go for the 2015 NBA draft while coming straight out of the IMG Reliance program as a post-graduate. When Bhamara was selected by the Dallas Mavericks as the 52nd pick of the draft, he would be the first player to have been drafted directly out of high school without any additional international, college, or D-League competition since Amir Johnson back in 2005.
Founded as best Indian diaspora basketball team, they participate at various international events, such as The Basketball Tournament.
Basketball is the most popular sport in the Philippines, played on both the amateur and professional levels.
3x3 International Pro Basketball League is a men's and women's professional 3x3 basketball league founded in India. Founded in 2017, the competition currently consists of 12 teams in men's and 6 in women's league.
The India men's national basketball team represents India in international men's basketball. It is controlled by Basketball Federation of India.
The Basketball Federation of India is the governing and controlling body of basketball in India. It is responsible for the development and promotion of the sports authority of India at all levels. The national team of India is known as the Indian Cagers.
Prashanti Singh is a shooting guard for the Indian national women's basketball team. She is first basketball player in India conferred with National Civilian Award Padma Shri in 2019. She has been honoured with the Arjuna Award by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India in 2017. She has also been conferred with the prestigious Rani Laxmi Bai Bravery Award 2016–17 in the field of sports by Government of Uttar Pradesh.
She is member of Talent Identification & Development Committee 2024, Khelo India by Ministry of Sports, Government Of India.She is member of prestigious All India Council of Sports 2024, Government of India.
Jagdeep Singh Bains is an Indian professional basketball player. Before playing for Mumbai Challengers of the UBA Pro Basketball League, he spent his first seven seasons with Punjab Police Jalandhar in the Indian National Basketball Championship. Singh was dismissed from Punjab in 2012 and suffered a career-threatening injury. He returned to basketball in 2016, when he signed with the Challengers. He last played for Mumbai Stars in Elite Pro Basketball League. Singh competed with the India national basketball team at the FIBA Asia Championship. Singh has completed his degree of coaching from the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports in 2019.
Gursimran Singh "Sim" Bhullar is a Canadian professional basketball player who last played for the Tainan TSG GhostHawks of the T1 League. He played college basketball for New Mexico State University and is the first player of Indian descent to play in the NBA. At 7'5", he also became the sixth-tallest player in NBA history, being tied with Chuck Nevitt and Pavel Podkolzin for that record.
3x3 basketball is a variation of basketball played three-a-side, with one backboard and in a half-court setup. This basketball game format is currently being promoted and structured by FIBA, the sport's governing body. Its primary competition is an annual FIBA 3X3 World Tour, comprising a series of Masters and one Final tournament, and awarding six-figure prize money in US dollars. The FIBA 3x3 World Cups for men and women are the highest tournaments for national 3x3 teams. The 3x3 format has been adopted for both the 2020 Summer Olympics and 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The following are the basketball events of the year 2014 throughout the world.
Satnam Singh Bhamara is an Indian professional wrestler and former professional basketball player. As a wrestler, he has been signed to the American professional wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW) since 2021. He also makes appearances for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), where he is one-half of the current AAA World Tag Team Champions in their first reign. He became the first Indian player to be drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA) when the Dallas Mavericks selected him with the 52nd overall pick of the 2015 NBA draft. At 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m) and 400 pounds (180 kg), Singh played the center position. He played high school basketball at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
Amritpal Singh is an Indian professional basketball player who represents Punjab of the National Basketball Championship. In the past, he played for the Sydney Kings of the Australian National Basketball League.
Amjyot Singh Gill is an Indian professional basketball player. He has previously played for the Tokyo Excellence of the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) and the Delhi Capitals of the UBA Pro Basketball League. He and Amritpal Singh became the first Indian male to sign a professional basketball contract abroad.
The United Basketball Alliance (UBA) was the first men’s professional basketball league in India, comprising eight teams. The UBA was headquartered in Pune and had a city team, Pune Peshwas. The first UBA match was played on 17 July 2015 at Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad between Bengaluru Beast and Pune Peshwas. The match was won by Pune Peshwas as they pulled out an 88-81 win. This marked the first time a professional basketball league tipped off in India.
Dušan Domović Bulut is a Serbian professional basketball player who is former world No. 1 ranked in men's individual 3x3 rankings by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). He plays for Aliens and Serbia men's national 3x3 team. He is widely considered to be the greatest 3x3 basketball player of all time.
Anfernee Tyrik Simons is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played prep basketball for IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. He became the first American to enter and be selected in an NBA draft directly after graduating from high school since the league first implemented age restriction rules in 2005.
The National Basketball Championship is a men's national level basketball tournament, held by the Basketball Federation of India, governing body of basketball in India. The competition is contested among the regional state teams affiliated under Basketball Federation of India.
Ambati Prudhvi Reddy is an Indian basketball player from the state of Telangana. He has received professional training and played at the Europe Basketball Academy. Ambati Prudhvi Reddy is currently the captain of Telangana state's Basketball Team. He is playing for the Senior Men's Indian team as a starting PG and also for the 3x3bl professional league for the Delhi Hoopers.
The Indian National Basketball League is a basketball league in India.
Elite Pro Basketball League (EPBL) is a professional franchise basketball league in India. Elite Pro Basketball Pvt Ltd was incorporated in February 2022 under the directorship of Sunny Bhandarkar and Pranav Prabhu. It is owned and operated by Elite Sports India (ESI).
| National teams |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Tournaments | |||||
| Leagues | |||||
International men's basketball | ||
|---|---|---|
| Africa |  | |
| Americas | ||
| Asia |
| |
| Europe | ||
| Oceania |
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| Other tournaments | ||
International men's youth basketball | ||
|---|---|---|
| Africa | | |
| Americas | ||
| Asia | ||
| Europe | ||
| Oceania | ||
Note: Under-20/21 tourneys except FIBA Europe's are no longer held. | ||
International women's youth basketball | ||
|---|---|---|
| Africa | | |
| Americas | ||
| Asia | ||
| Europe | ||
| Oceania | ||
Note: Under-20/21 tourneys except FIBA Europe's are no longer held. | ||
Basketball in Asia | |
|---|---|
| Sovereign states |
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| States with limited recognition | |
| Dependencies and other territories | |
