Hoopdarshan

The 2016 NBA All Star Weekend is upon us, and for the first time, basketball's biggest exhibition event will take place outside the United States - in Toronto, Canada. To bring Hoopdarshan listeners closer to the event, we invited Payal Doshi, the Social Media Manager of NBA Canada, to give us a brief buzz of how Toronto has prepared for All Star. Of course, hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok give their unadulterated predictions and expectations for the All Star Weekend, too. We wrap up this episode by speaking to Payal about her experiences with Indian Basketball and reveal a big Bollywood-NBA surprise for ASW.

The 2016 NBA All Star Weekend is upon us, and for the first time, basketball's biggest exhibition event will take place outside the United States - in Toronto, Canada. To bring Hoopdarshan listeners closer to the event, we invited Payal Doshi, the Social Media Manager of NBA Canada, to give us a brief buzz of how Toronto has prepared for All Star. Of course, hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok give their unadulterated predictions and expectations for the All Star Weekend, too. We wrap up this episode by speaking to Payal about her experiences with Indian Basketball and reveal a big Bollywood-NBA surprise for ASW.

Few journalists know the domestic Indian basketball scene better than Gopalakrishnan R, the co-creator of Ekalavyas.com and a freelance writer. On Episode 25 of the Indian basketball podcast Hoopdarshan, Gopal joins hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok to take a deep dive into Indian basketball, discussing the latest National basketball championship, rising stars and impressive teams around the country, and the motivations behind Indian basketball players and stakeholders. We also discuss Neha Dhupia's pursuit of Jimmy Butler and sprinkle numerous Indian to NBA comparisons.

Few journalists know the domestic Indian basketball scene better than Gopalakrishnan R, the co-creator of Ekalavyas.com and a freelance writer. On Episode 25 of the Indian basketball podcast Hoopdarshan, Gopal joins hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok to take a deep dive into Indian basketball, discussing the latest National basketball championship, rising stars and impressive teams around the country, and the motivations behind Indian basketball players and stakeholders. We also discuss Neha Dhupia's pursuit of Jimmy Butler and sprinkle numerous Indian to NBA comparisons.

Hoopdarshan, the Indian Basketball podcast, has reached its 24th episode, which means that it's just about time to pay homage to Mr. 24 himself, Kobe Bean Black Mamba Bryant. After 20 years in the NBA, Bryant will be retiring at the end of this season. Co-hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok are joined by hoops enthusiast Kunal Mathew to discuss the highs and lows of Kobe's career, his most-memorable moments, his legacy, and his place in the 2016 NBA All Star Team.

In early October, Hoopdarshan co-host Karan Madhok traveled to McLeodganj and Dharamshala - hill-stations in the Indian Himalayas home to a vibrant community of Tibetan refugees - with photographer Angad Sodhi to discover how basketball bonds the displaced population together. The epic trip turned into a story for the upcoming issue of SLAM Magazine (# 195) encapsulating together sports, politics, and travel. In Episode 23 of Hoopdarshan, host Kaushik Lakshman, Karan and Angad talk about the story behind the story, featuring the refugees' affinity for basketball, the Tibetans' relationship with China and India, unforgettable characters from McLeodganj, and the quest for the perfect momo.

In 2007, after coaching around the world from the USA to China and Europe, JD Walsh descended to India. Walsh's "JDBasketball" movement spread quickly to all corners of the country, influencing thousands of Indian players & coaches. On Episode 22 of the Hoopdarshan podcast, Walsh joins hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok to talk about the past, present, and future of Indian Basketball, the state of his hometown New York Knicks, and the Pandavs starting 5 from The Mahabharat.

For decades, Coach R L Prasad Guntupalli - known popularly as GLR Prasad - has been a popular face in the Indian basketball circles, from club-level competitions in Bengaluru to advising from the bench as Team India defeated China in Wuhan last year. On Episode 21 of Hoopdarshan, Prasad joins hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok to talk being Scott Flemming's assistant for the Men's National team, coaching India to victory at 2015 SABA Qualifiers, and the growing basketball scene in Karnataka. Additionally, Kaushik and Karan talk in great detail about the exciting new NBA season, including the Warriors, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Garnett.

At 19, Amrit Pal Singh was farming with his father in Fattuwal, Punjab when he was first introduced to basketball. At 23, he is one of India's finest basketball players and is playing professionally for the best team in Japan's D-League. Hoopdarshan - India's finest basketball podcast - introduces you to the dictionary definition of a 'Late Bloomer'. Listen in as  Amrit Pal talks to co-hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok about his wild rise from the villages to the Indian hoops elite, his dominant performances in Japan, and finding Butter Chicken in Tokyo.

Good news: the 2015-16 NBA season is here! Better news: you get to hear three Indian accents break down the top storylines across the league to build your appetite. Hosted by Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok, the new episode of Hoopdarshan features Vishnu Ravi Shankar, the co-founder of Indian basketball website Ekalavyas. Take a listen for our breakdown of the Thunder, Cavs, Spurs, Warriors, Bulls, Clippers, Satnam Singh, DeMarcus Cousins, and the sad fates of our own favourite teams. Finally, we offer our final predictions for MVP, the top individual awards, and eventually, the 2016 NBA champ.