Hoopdarshan is a basketball podcast that focuses on basketball in India. But since we love the game so much, we also talk a lot of NBA and other Hoops stuff.
It took a lot longer than usual, but the 2020 NBA Finals are finally here! In Episode 96 of Hoopdarshan, hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok welcome Lakers superfan Abhishek Bhardwaj to discuss a number of intriguing storylines including AD vs. Bam, Riley vs. LeBron, Kuzma vs. Herro, Lakers stars vs. Heat Culture, Kobe, Dwight, and much more.
In Episode 95 of Hoopdarshan, we welcome NBA India editor and writer Yash Matange. Matange discusses the success of recent Indian prospects like Prince Pal Singh, Anna Mary Zachariah, Siya Deodhar and more with co-hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok. Then, we preview the unprecedented NBA Bubble Playoffs, from Dame Time and Lakers Questions to Giannis, Toronto, Nuggets, and more.
To watch the first-ever NBA India Games in October, Indian basketball superfan and journalist Siddharth Sharma (aks SidBreakBall) embarked on an epic 3-day, 2,000 km bike journey from Kolkata to Mumbai. On Episode 94 of Hoopdarshan, Sharma joins co-hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok to discuss this wild trip, his memories at the very first NBA preseason game in India, working as a broadcaster for the UBA league, and the hoops scene in Kolkata.
One of the brightest young stars in Indian basketball, 17-year-old Harsimran 'Hunny' Kaur, joins Episode 93 of Hoopdarshan. The teenager from Kapurthala, Punjab spoke to hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok about joining San Diego State of the NCAA D1, dreams to become the first Indian in the WNBA, and how she finally defeated her father - a former national player - on the court.
On Episode 92, Indo-Canadian baller Bikramjit Gill joins Hoopdarshan from Toronto, where he talks to co-hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok about staying fit in lockdown, the journey that made him a 3x3 phenom in India, the state of Indian basketball, and how the nickname '6earded King' came about.
In a pandemic-afflicted world without sport (or any outdoor activity), there is nothing that we needed more than 'The Last Dance' the documentary on Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. In Episode 91, we invite indisputably the biggest desi MJ fan on earth - Krossovr founder/CEO Vasu Kulkarni - to discuss his early reactions to the documentary, his memories of becoming an MJ fan, the numerous times he met Michael Jordan in person, plus bonus stories of the Warriors dynasty and David Stern's favourite emoji.
Joining hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok in Episode 89 of Hoopdarshan is the great Micah Adams, the NBA Global Managing Editor for DAZN. One of the most astute minds working in the game today, Adams discussed his on/off court experiences from the All Star Weekend in Chicago, the ELAM Ending, Stats vs. Eye-Test, Kobe, his Mumbai trip for the NBA India Games, the Rockets, 76ers, and more.
Hoopdarshan pays its tributes to the late great black mamba, as they talk about reactions to receiving news of Kobe Bryant's passing before moving on to Episode 88 that was recorded days before the tragedy.
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In the latest episode of the Indian basketball podcast Hoopdarshan, we welcome Norman Swaroop Isaac, India's own FIBA Technical Delegate and Commissioner who has officiated high-level international matches for decades, including the recent FIBA World Cup Final. Isaac speaks to co-hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok about working a big event like the World Cup, the evolution of international basketball officiating over the years, how to improve the status of Indian basketball, and his own playing days for Andhra Pradesh.
