India has potential to become a continental basketball powerhouse, feel NBA players Seth Curry and Robin Lopez, the latest to visit the country as ambassadors of the game. The duo had a whirlwind tour of desi basketball and sports culture from cricket hysteria, touristy snaps and selfies to court time with some of the best young talent in the country
The fact that it didn’t make headlines is probably the biggest headline. By now news of NBA and WNBA players, past and present, coming over to India every summer isn’t a huge deal. It all started with a Kevin Garnett visit back in 2006, followed by some 50 others since then, an illustrious list that includes Pau Gasol, Isaiah Thomas, Chris Bosh, Kyle Korver, George Gerwin, Swin Cash and Tamika Catchings.
The NBA has always used the off-season to send its talent all over the world like modern-day missionaries to spread the gospel of the league through its various initiatives. Describing the phenomenon, Robin Lopez, a 28-year-old seven-foot centre with the New York Knicks, said, “It’s a very grassroots thing to work with a lot of kids. No matter where we go, we try to instil in them as much of basketball as possible. To instil a love of sports early on in their lives. I think that’s what we would really like to do here [India] or anywhere.”
Lopez, and fellow NBA player Seth Curry, 25, a guard with the Sacramento Kings, were on the Indian trail from April 28 to May 1. They travelled to Jaypee Greens, Greater Noida, for the Reliance Junior NBA Elite National Camp, visited the Taj Mahal in Agra, and, in Mumbai, appeared on Sony Six’s NBA game-time show, Around the Hoop, as well as on the hugely popular IPL Extraaa Innings cricket talk-show.
The two have also been binging on street food (“Lots of samosas. Also, ragda pattis, vada paao”) and getting first-hand experience of the “crazy traffic”.
この記事は Sports Illustrated India の June - July 2016 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Sports Illustrated India の June - July 2016 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Hockey World Cup- India Gears Up For Glory
Hosts India will have to play out of their skins to win their second Hockey Men’s World Cup title.
The Drive For Consistency
Find something you love doing and use that to fall in love with your body, so you can embrace change and sustain a pattern that lets you unlock the best version of yourself
The Phenomenon
Kevin Pietersen may have retired from playing, but he will remain a part of the game and Test cricket folklore for a long time
Powering The Action
The IPL is intense. Players let off the fireworks on the pitch, but it is the coaches and support staff that light the fuses. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED traces the evolution of this critical aspect of the game, and why Indians still need to make a mark
A Steep Learning Curve
Making the transition from the junior level to the senior team has been quite challenging but a hugely rewarding experience.
Scorecard - Don't Blame It on Rio
Apathy towards the Olympics could cast golf in a negative light and jeo paradise its standing with the IOC for the 2024 Games and beyond.
Bench Strength
With the Likes of Nair, Yadav, Jadhav and Chahal Performing With Maturity Over the Past Year, Team India’s Bench Strength Looks Strong Ahead of the Champions Trophy.
Sir Roger Bannister (1929-2018)
A legend in his own time, Sir Roger was most proud of his neurology research but his historic sub-four mile run in 1954 is still regarded as one of his best breakthroughs
Battle Ready
A star-studded Indian contingent seeks to reshape its approach with rising talent, even as seasoned warriors in badminton, weight-lifting, shooting and wrestling aim for gold
Safe Passage
The Dustup That Marred the Return of Chris Paul to L.a. Has Faded. As the Point God Settles Into a New Home, He Has a New Running Buddy and a Group of Teammates Who Feel Like a Family
