India has not produced many great basketball players that have represented the NBA but they have made an impact either in India or other foreign leagues.
Follow Us
When one talks about basketball, only one country’s name is prominent when it comes to impact, greatness of players, market share and economics. The behemoth of the United States of America is such that the NBA is the grand league. Beyond the NBA, any other basketball league is almost non-existent. There are basketball leagues in Europe and China but they do not match the size and economics of the USA. When one talks about India, the basketball culture is far behind those of cricket and to a certain extent other sports in the modern era. The prime reason for the NBA lagging behind in people’s imagination in India was that from the very beginning, American sports were never telecast in full.
It was only when India opened up in the 90s that people saw global sports. The period of the 90s saw the worldwide popularity of the NBA. The emergence of legends like Michael Jordan and a whole host of other players saw the popularity of the NBA surge in India. In this context, there have been some players who have made an impact on the global and local stage in India. Here is a list of some of the best players from India in basketball.
Perhaps the first star from India to make a big splash in the NBA. At the age of nine, he was already five foot nine inches, making him the tallest adult in his village of Baloke in Punjab. At age 13, his height was six foot 11 inches and weighted 100 kgs. His shoe size was 18. His passion for basketball made many to believe that he would be like Yao Ming, the Chinese giant who had made big strides in the NBA while playing for the Houston Rockets. When he was picked in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks, Satnam Singh had fulfilled the dream of becoming the first Indian-born player to be drafted in the NBA.
He stands six foot eight inches tall but at age 27, he has already made India a power to reckon with in Basketball at least in Asia. After making his senior debut at age 18 in 2011, he became a lynchpin for the Indian national team. At the 2014 FIBA Asia Cup in Wuhan, he was India’s leading scorer to help defeat China, the hosts, for the first time in national basketball history. He has consistently been India’s most-effective player in FIBA Asia events and qualifiers year after year. In 2017, after a stint with the BJ Summer League in Japan, Gill was drafted into the NBA G-League by the OKC Blue, becoming only the second Indian after Satnam Singh.
When India had played Basketball in the 1980 Olympic Games, one name shone through. With an average of 21.3 points per game to go with 5.4 rpg as well., Ajmer Singh Chopra was one of the finest in the business. He ended up as one of the top scorers in the Olympics and two years later, he was the tournament’s top scorer at the 1982 Asian Games.
Khushi Ram from Haryana is to be credited for laying the foundation of basketball in India. Ram began playing in the national basketball circuit in 1952 for Indian Armed Forces and helped them to a national championship for ten consecutive years, bagging several ‘Best Player’ awards in the process. He also represented Rajasthan in the Nationals. Ram was an integral part of India’s national team from 1964-72, and captained India in 1965 at their first-ever appearance at the Asian Basketball Confederation Championship. Ram was given the Arjuna Award in 1967.
One of the finest woman basketball players from India, Geethu Anna Rahul emerged as an indomitable force in the Indian domestic scene and almost came close to playing in the WNBA. Rahul broke barriers for Indian women when she became the first Indian player to play professionally in Australia, representing the Ringwood Hawks from 2006-2008. At the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Australia, she finished as the basketball tournament’s MVP, leading scorer, leading rebounder, and leading shot-blocker. Rahul also helped India win gold at the FIBA Asia 3×3 Basketball Championship in Qatar.
