Hoopdarshan

Satnam Singh Bhamara made history by becoming the first Indian player to be drafted into the NBA. That was Step 1. What happens now? On Episode 10 of the Indian basketball podcast Hoopdarshan, hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok catch up with ESPN contributor and accomplished novelist Mark Winegardner, who has closely followed Satnam's journey from Ballo Ke Village to the IMG Academy to the NBA Draft for the past four years. Mark recalls his experiences visiting Satnam in his village in Punjab, helps us predict Satnam's future in the NBA, and we discuss what this achievement means for India and the NBA. Satnam Singh Bhamara made history by becoming the first Indian player to be drafted into the NBA. That was Step 1. What happens now? On Episode 10 of the Indian basketball podcast Hoopdarshan, hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok catch up with ESPN contributor and accomplished novelist Mark Winegardner, who has closely followed Satnam's journey from Ballo Ke Village to the IMG Academy to the NBA Draft for the past four years. Mark recalls his experiences visiting Satnam in his village in Punjab, helps us predict Satnam's future in the NBA, and we discuss what this achievement means for India and the NBA.

On Episode 9 of the Indian Basketball podcast Hoopdarshan, hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok are joined by Jonathan Rego, India's first FIBA agent. Armed with experience of developing and promoting the sport at various levels in India, Rego talks to us about the business side of Indian basketball, the prospect for India's best young players to play in professional leagues abroad, and screaming (with joy) at Kevin Garnett.

On Episode 9 of the Indian Basketball podcast Hoopdarshan, hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok are joined by Jonathan Rego, India's first FIBA agent. Armed with experience of developing and promoting the sport at various levels in India, Rego talks to us about the business side of Indian basketball, the prospect for India's best young players to play in professional leagues abroad, and screaming (with joy) at Kevin Garnett.

On Episode 8 of Hoopdarshan - the Indian basketball podcast - hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok are joined by our first ever female guest, rising Indian Basketball star Shireen Limaye. Limaye spoke to us about her WNBA dreams, how her hometown Pune made her into one of India's top players, and why we now call her the 'Splash Sister'. Additionally, Karan and Kaushik also discuss Indian basketball and NBA news and answer various questions from our fans and followers across the interwebs.

With the 2015 NBA Finals looming, we tackle one important question on Episode 7 of Hoopdarshan: "What would an NBA title mean for..." Co-hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok are joined in a roundtable discussion by Karan's brother Harsh Madhok. Join us on our banters which are both wild and analytical, as we discuss the legacies of the players at the Finals, predict if it will be Stephen Curry or LeBron James that walks out on top, and explain how Warriors vs LeBron is just like the T-1000 vs The Terminator.

What do you get when you mix Satnam Singh Bhamara - the prospect dreaming of becoming India's first NBA player - and Hoopdarshan - the first Indian basketball podcast? Fireworks, of course! The 7-foot-2, 19-year-old giant Bhamara declared for the NBA draft last month and now hopes to become the first Indian player to make it to the league. On Episode 6 of Hoopdarshan, he joins hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok for an engaging discussion on the improvements he's made on the court over the past few years, his incredible journey from being the son of a Punjabi farmer to becoming an NBA prospect, his relationship with basketball in India, and going to his High School prom.

Before he leaves India after serving two years as the head coach of India's National Women's team, the Spaniard Francisco Garcia joins Hoopdarshan hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok for an entertaining conversation in Episode 5. Garcia discusses a variety of topics, including leading India to our best-ever FIBA Asia Championship performance, the attitudes of Indian women in the sport, his fractured relationship with the Basketball Federation of India, and the Spanish flamenco dance in 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara'.

On Episode 4 of the Indian Basketball podcast Hoopdarshan, hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok welcome Carlos Barroca, the Senior Director of Basketball Operations for NBA India. Bacrroca, who has spent the past eight months in India traveling the nation and passing on basketball knowledge and tactics in behalf of the NBA, talks about his optimism towards grassroots basketball in India, the upcoming visit by Indian-descent NBA player Sim Bhullar, his adventures with Indian languages, and more.

On Episode 3 of Hoopdarshan - the first-ever Indian basketball podcast - hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok catch up with Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, one of the most talented and most experienced players of India's national team and a dominant force for India at the domestic stage. Bhriguvanshi reveals the worldview of being a top basketball player in India, discussing why he chose basketball as a profession, his greatest national and international experiences, and his love for good ol' dal-chawal.

On the second episode of Hoopdarshan - the first-ever Indian basketball podcast - hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok oversee the end of the NBA regular season in style, with Madhok's NBA.com/India co-blogger and best-selling author Akshay Manwani joining in for the fun. Manwani and the Hoopdarshan crew speak about Sim Bhullar's big desi breakthrough, discuss this golden era for NBA fans in India, and settle debates like the season's MVP, potential title-contenders, and more.