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.
Episode 79 of Hoopdarshan accomplishes two agendas: our reaction to the Toronto Raptors becoming the weirdest NBA champions in years... and the rise of 3x3 basketball in India. Co-hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok are joined by India's top-ranked FIBA 3x3 player Dhruv Barman who tells us about his unlikely journey into a basketball career and why India's 3x3 can make waves at the Olympics.
One of the most experienced players of Team India, Raspreet Sidhu joins the new episode of the Indian basketball podcast Hoopdarshan. In a wide-ranging conversation with co-hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok, Sidhu discussed her father's role in her basketball journey, being on court for iconic moments in Indian hoops history, and the struggle for opportunities for India's women players.
To preview the upcoming NBA playoffs, NBA analyst and commentator Akshay Manwani joins Hoopdarshan's co-hosts Kaushik Lakshman and KaranMadhok to discuss the battle-royale in the East, the challengers to Golden State in the West, and the players, teams, and moments that have defined this NBA season so far.
After a long absence, Hoopdarshan returns for Episode 74, with our attention focused towards the future. Hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok are joined by sports journalist Arka Bhattacharya of The Field to discuss building sustainable sports culture in India, lessons for a future Indian pro basketball league, and the current sports-media landscape.
Episode 72 of Hoopdarshan comes around Christmas and New Year's with a double dose of gifts for the holidays. We are joined by Sanjana Ramesh - the Beagles Mamba - on becoming the second Indian to receive a NCAA D1 scholarship for Northern Arizona, her basketball journey in Bengaluru, and her favourite dosas. Hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok also discuss the impact of the historic first NBA preseason games between the Kings and Pacers coming to Mumbai next year.
With the finals of the fifth season of India's most-extra basketball event - the Mizoram Basketball League (MSL) - in our sights, Hoopdarshan welcomes Mizo basketball's biggest star and last season's MVP Lalrina Renthlei as our special guest for Episode 71. In a wide-ranging interview, Renthlei speaks to hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok about the MSL's growth, basketball in the North-East, toggling between pro basketball and snooker, and his ambitions to play for India's national team.
It's Diwali season, and Hoopdarshan has brought the fireworks. In Episode 70 of the podcast, we feature special guest Palpreet Singh Brar, the first Indian to be drafted directly by the NBA G-League, an important member of the Indian national team, and the man embroiled around a controversy that got him suspended from Indian basketball this year. Brar bares his all, giving his side of the story, and providing more details of his incredible journey. Additionally, co-hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok catch up on other news in Indian basketball and the NBA.
