October 21, 2016
Diwali is the greatest fireworks show in the world... Well, that, and on the basketball court! This year, the 'Festival of Light' couldn't come at a better time, as it coincides with the beginning of the 2016-17 NBA Season. To tackle all the most pressing questions and excitement of the coming year, Hoopdarshan hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok call to NBA superfan Samir Kumar for help. Check out this special NBA preview episode, where we wonder if anyone can stop a Warriors-Cavaliers rematch, discuss the players and teams who will most intrigue us this season, and allow Samir to give us an important Ray Allen tribute.
October 8, 2016
Vishesh Bhriguvanshi is a busy man. Between starring for India at the historic FIBA Asia Challenge performance in Iran, winning the Maldives pro basketball league in his first season, and leading ONGC to the FIBA Asia Champions Cup in China, the superstar guard found time to guest in Episode 37 of the Hoopdarshan podcast. With Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok, Bhriguvanshi recapped India's recent big wins, his stacked international basketball schedule, and revealed why's he's now the Banarasi James Harden.
September 15, 2016
On Episode 36 of Hoopdarshan, the VP of broadcasting of the UBA Basketball League in India joins Hoopdarshan to discuss the growth of the league, the exciting young talents propelling the movement forward, and the "confusing" situation of BFI banning UBA's players from national competitions. Hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok also discuss India's performances at the ongoing FIBA Asia Challenges, the Shaq-Yao-Iverson trifecta in the Hall of Fame, and a very special ox #OxWithHops.
August 26, 2016
With one of the biggest Asian basketball tournaments - the 2016 FIBA Asia Challenge - just around the corner, we at Hoopdarshan recruited one of the top sources to help us preview the championship from India's perspective, our national team's head coach and former player CV Sunny. Coach Sunny joins hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok to talk about our star players and starting lineups, the team's preparatory performances at the William Jones Cup, and if India can make some noise at the knockout stage.
August 6, 2016
It may be the NBA offseason, but Indian Basketball, and World Basketball in general, never stops. In Episode 34 of Hoopdarshan, hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok discuss India's recent performances at the FIBA Asia U18 Championship and the William Jones Cup, imagine India's journey to the Olympics, and preview basketball at the Rio Olympic Games. Basketball Federation of India's Media coordinator Richard Xalxo joins the podcast to give fans an inside look of the improving state of hoops in India plus future challenges from the BFI's perspective.
July 25, 2016
It's been a hell of a summer for the average NBA fan, and Episode 33 of the Hoopdarshan podcast takes a deep, long dive into the most pressing issues on our mind in this historic offseason. NBA superfan and India's first FIBA agent Jonathan Rego joins hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok to talk about all the ramifications and reactions to Kevin Durant in the Warriors, the response from Russell Westbrook and LeBron James, the ever-changing concept of NBA loyalty after Dwyane Wade's move to Chicago, and the news of Tim Duncan's retirement that made Jonathan physically ill. It's all here, and it's going to blow your mind!
July 3, 2016
In Episode number 32 of India's finest basketball podcast Hoopdarshan, star international point guard Akanksha Singh joins hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok to speak up for the problems in Indian basketball. One of Varanasi's famed 'Singh Sisters', Akanksha candidly discusses how the BFI split is hurting Indian players, her growing popularity in the country, and beating up creepy men off the court. Karan and Kaushik also wrap up the NBA finals that saw the king win a title for his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers
May 31, 2016
Warriors. Cavaliers. The rematch. The 2016 NBA Finals are set to be epic, and we have an appropriately epic, Hoopdarshan-flavoured preview for you to satisfying all basketball palates. For Episode 31, hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok are joined by CBS Sports Writer Ananth Pandian to discuss what a title could mean for the Curry and Warriors' fairytale season, the pressure on LeBron to deliver a title to Cleveland, Klay's Yoda socks, and our final predictions for the series.
May 22, 2016
Hoopdarshan has entered the 30s, and to celebrate, we're going to our roots. Our grassroots. Our guest for Episode 30 is Pradyut Voleti, founder and coach of the Dribble Academy who have begun a grassroots basketball programme in Gheja village near Noida. Voleti joins hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok to discuss bringing basketball and education hand in hand to underprivileged children, the growth and success stories of Dribble Academy, and sparking a revolution for other such programmes to improve basketball around India.
May 4, 2016
As the NBA Playoffs move into the Second Round, Hoopdarshan moves onwards too, keeping a keen eye on the final eight teams competing for the 2016 NBA Championship. On Episode 29 of India's finest basketball podcast, hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok are joined by NBA superfan and Karan's friend Zyman Marzuki to break down TEN BIG QUESTIONS for the NBA Playoffs. Is Tim Duncan truly a Robot? Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook? Can anyone in the East stop the Cavs? And yes, our thoughts on which team will go all the way to the title
