January 30, 2017
Last week, India's largest domestic basketball tournament - the Senior Nationals - concluded in Puducherry, giving fans and scouts a taste of the best talent from around the country. To give us an informed discussion about the rising stars in Indian basketball, the Hoopdarshan podcast called up Himamshu Dabir, the chief of basketball operations for the Basketball Federation of India (BFI), to join us for Episode 41. Dabir shared his expertise with hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok on the most intriguing teams and players from the Senior Nationals, the future names and events to look forward to in Indian basketball, and on India's biggest need: the point guard position.
December 23, 2016
Hoopdarshan, India's finest basketball podcast, celebrates its 40th episode with an interview with Indo-American point guard Inderbir Gill. Gill joins hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok to talk about becoming a college basketball star, coaching NBA in India, starring for a world-renowned 3x3 basketball team, and finding the greatest Butter Chicken in the world. Also discussed: the Satnam Singh documentary and India at the Super Kung Sheung Cup.
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
