List of Indian Basketball Players

Basketball is a slowly emerging sport in India, but with its immense talent in Indian players, one can't doubt them at the national or international level. The game is not as popular in India as cricket, but the real fervor and skills of the Indian basketball players can't be questioned. This article draws up a list of some of the most renowned Indian basketball players who have measured success in silver, along with few insights on what could make them some of the best Indian basketball players.

Satnam Singh Bhamara

Satnam Singh Bhamara probably has the most famous name in Indian basketball. Standing at a towering 7 feet, 2 inches, Satnam was the first-ever Indian-born basketball player picked by the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks, in 2015. From a small village in Punjab to the greatest stage of world basketball, his career path cannot be anything but fabulous in inspiration.

Notable Performances:

First Indian player to ever be drafted into the NBA.

 He played for Texas Legends, which was the GLeague affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks.

 Represented India in various international championships, including the FIBA Asia Championships.

 Success, through Satnam, became a revelation for the youth in India and proved that, indeed, it could be done where one toils a lot and is really determined to go all the way to the very top in sport.

 2. Amjyot Singh Gill

Another towering figure in the realm of Indian basketball is Amjyot Singh Gill, known for his versatility and athleticism. Standing at 6'9", Amjyot has plied the trade across Indian territories, Japan, and even the NBA G League, among other international platforms. 

Notable Highlights:

Presently playing for the Japanese professional basketball league, B. League, and NBA G-League.

Key player for the Indian National, helping it to most of its wins in FIBA Asia Cup and other tournaments.

Notorious for playing as a forward and center.

Amjyot has been placed as one of the finest players in basketball countries with the right experience and skills.

3. Vishesh Bhriguvanshi

Vishesh Bhriguvanshi was, by all means, one of the players who could have been the finest guards that the Indian basketball fraternity ever came across. With so many major ingredients to take over, he was always the scoring face of the Indian national team, towering from the front.

 Career Highlights

 He played and captained the Indian national team, having won from the front in most of the international tournaments.

The first of his kind to be contracted for the Australian NBL (National Basketball League).

He received the Arjuna Award in the year 2020 for his service to Indian basketball.

His consistency in performance and never having fallen short of dedication towards the game has stood him out as one of the best indian basketball player in his country

4. Geethu Anna Rahul

Explanation: G. Geethu Anna Rahul is certainly one of the pioneers of women's basketball in India. With wide acclaim of being one of the country's best distaff ballers, she has donned the national colors in various international tournaments. At a dominant height of 6'2", Geethu was always amassing the points and reigning down tenaciously on the defensive end.

 Major Accomplishments: 

 Represented the country in a number of FIBA Asia Championships.

Play professional basketball in Australia's WNBL (Women's National Basketball League). First Indian woman to be invited for try-outs by the WNBA, or Women's National Basketball Association. Success of Geethu inspired many young girls from India to take up the game and pursue it seriously. 

 5. Principal Singh

Princepal Singh is arguably one of the most promising talents in Indian basketball. A little under the height of around 6 feet 10 inches, the youngster is certainly on the rise. He has great strides at an early juncture in his career. 

 Key Achievements:

 First Indian to be part of the NBA Global Academy

Played for the NBA GLeague with the Ignite

Represented India in numerous international tournaments across different age groups.

6. Yadwinder Singh

 From a little village, a principal rose to the international courts of basketball and into the annals of success that are seldom equalled, with one of the greatest players ever to have stepped on Indian basketball courts in his generation.

Yadwinder Singh is a potent character and filled with much power. He carries muscular defense as well. He has been playing for the Indian National Team for many years, and in fact, he is one of the premier defenders for Indian basketball.

A few key areas of attainment are as follows:

He has represented Team India in various international level tournaments including the FIBA Asia Cup.

Most notably, because of his generalship on the courts and his man-to-man defense on the enemy team's best players.

 He has guided the team to a first-of-its-kind victory in the country against the favorite teams of this zone, China and the Philippines.

 All such qualities have made Yadwinder a respected stalwart of Indian basketball.

 7. Poonam Chaturvedi

Poonam Chaturvedi is one of the special gems in Indian women's basketball. Standing tall at 6'11'', she makes use of this abnormal height to outshine in the paint area.

Major achievement

She played for the Indian national team in different tournament games.

She always led in the points and rebounding from both sides of the game in the paint.

Still one of the forces in the Indian ladies' basketball circuit.

Poonam's towering height and finesse on the basketball court makes her a player one can watch out for in the Indian Circuit.

8. Prashanti Singh

She  is the most successful female basketball player in the country. She was one of the vital cogs in the Indian national team and has been awarded the same a million times.

Represented India in various international level tournaments including FIBA Asia Cup

She was also given the Padma Shri in the year 2019.

Prashanti Singh was one of the famous "Singh Sisters," who always brought differences she had about herself in the minds of people and had the ways through which she was going to assure people about the difference she comes along with.

With laurels and one-way dedication towards the sport Prashanti had become one of the best players India has in the women's circuit

9. Jeena Skaria

Jeena Skaria another household name in Indian women basketball, all-rounder, with various court skills and indeed scoring consistently in her career; she had been an important player always for the national team of India.

 Major Achievements:

IBT: events run with the Indian team and the FIBA Asia Cup, among others.

She has been characterized in the past as having leadership on the court and being able to perform in more than one position.

She continued to inspire several young basketball players in India.

And so, Jeena proved that consistency, and that work that all believed in finally paid off to earn her among the heavyweights in the Indian basketball team.

 History of Basketball in India

Basketball entered India in the early days of the 20th century through the efforts of YMCA missionaries. The popularity of the game has since been complemented by its arrival, and currently, the schools and colleges of India regard it as one of the vital games. The first official basketball game was played in India during the 1930s, and gradually, the game began gaining fame.

The Basketball Federation of India was formed as a body to promote and develop the game of basketball in the country in the year 1950. It organizes national champions, popularize the sport at the grassroots, and nurtures this talent, which goes on to excel at international platforms.

India first made her presence felt in the international basketball field at the time of entry into the Asian Games. Though the eggs failed to bag any medals, the opportunity was considered a big breakthrough for basketball in the country. In the intervening years, history will highlight a few high points of Indian basketball.

Revolutionized with the growth of the sport in India, it has long given rise to many emerging basketball players at the national level and even internationally recognized. Their coming has marked the status of a sport in society and it has guided the generation of the young to actually take up something case-wise that links to the same platform.

For Kids: Getting Started in Basketball

Basketball is a terrific sport—one that's packed with action. At the same time, because you must run helter-skelter with the ball to score, it also becomes good exercise. It makes somebody believe in coordination and makes him able to be a good team player. Not only is this the best-designed tool for child activities, but it also learns life lessons and has just the best time anyone dreams of. It does so in absolutely fun ways, such that the game picks it not only for personal reasons but also for the tender age of the child.Early in life, starting young is the way to get on to the right foot, whether one's object is just to play for pastime or to nurse a secret wish of being an Indian basketball player.

Basic Training

Children who want to go play basketball should basically be knowing how to play the game itself. This means that they should know how to dribble, pass, and shoot the ball, as well as the know-how of playing defense. From these four basic actions, walking the basketball while dribbling is the prime factor because through this action a player can take the ball up the court by going in between and around opponents.

 Join a Team

Of course, the game of basketball is a team sport, and thus being able to play for teams from time to time is one of the best ways to put into practice skills learned. This would also provide them with tips from their coach, allowing kids to play with their fellow teammates, and enabling them to have some form of nice, organized basketball games. Most schools and community sports organizations have basketball programs tailored to kids of all ages.

Instill a spirit of teamwork and communication with team members.

Cope up with the spirit to be competitive and with good sportsmanship.

Wish them all to achieve making many friends, have fun, and enjoy physical activity.

GET ENTHUSED

Share with them and discuss with them how fabulous this will give them inspiration, especially those who aim to be a basketball star—Satnam Singh, Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, Geethu Anna Rahul, to mention but a few. All these are famous Indian basketball players who have started the sports career at a very tender age, and contribute his best to be right where they are.

Get inspiration by reading the story of one of the famous Indian basketball players. 

​Watch online videos of their games and try to imitate some of their plays in your practice.

DEDICATION

The kids won't get any good at basketball if they do not practice. The parents will go all out to ensure that these children practice on a daily basis — be it dribbling to aim for some driveway, throwing in some local courts, or even pinching a friend to get involved in a pick-up game. The more they play, the better they get.

Tip for Parents:

Instill interest in basketball by attending games and basketball practices, and support this with an extra push for leaning towards practice.

Supply him/her with the right equipment: a basketball and a pair of supportive running shoes.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the future of basketball players is very bright in India's next generations if every alternate day to each other day, this sport is growing up in leaps and bounds.

Keeping in mind its history since the early twentieth century, at present, basketball is undergoing a sea change in the country of India. The entry of such exciting talent as Satnam Singh, Amjyot Singh Gill, and Geethu Anna Rahul into the game of basketball finally made it get its own level of acceptability and respect in the sporting fray, and not only did their excellence in the game provide an advanced level of inspiration, but it also had a lot to do with the serious pursuit of sport by the prospective next line of players.

The journeys of these basketball players, from Ajmer Singh as the pioneer to current-day stars like Satnam Singh and Princepal Singh, have really contributed a lot to growing the talent and potential in the country. The athletes serve as a representation of the great success in Indian basketball; it puts the country on fire. They will surely be exemplary role models for the young aspiring basketball lovers around the country, as the sport surely has no signs of slowing down.

This makes the future for basketball in India very promising, given that there is now huge investment in infrastructure and facilities for training. Attach this to the 'Occupy' establishment of NBA Academy India and other NBA India engagements, likely to only fuel this growth further.

FAQs

Has India ever played in the NBA?

More fame followed as a Netflix Documentary was made on him named - 'One in a billion'. However, his stint in the NBA did not have the impact as was expected. In 2015-16 season, the Centre position player got 19 matches, starting in just two, in the NBA's minor D-league for Mavericks' affiliates Texas Legends

Who is the only Indian NBA player?

In April 2015, Singh was announced as an early entrant for the 2015 NBA draft. At the draft on 25 June 2015, he was selected by the Dallas Mavericks with the 52nd overall pick, becoming the first Indian-born player to be drafted into the NBA.

Who is the leader of the NBA in India?

Prof. Anil D. Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, National Educational Technology Forum (NETF) Cell is the current Chairman of NBA and also the Chairman of Executive Committee and General Council.

Who is the Best Indian basketball player to play NBA?

Sim Bhullar

 

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