Leagues and not Ranveer Singh, the way forward for Basketball: Vishesh Bhriguvanshi

Indian international Vishesh Bhriguvanshi has called out the NBA’s attempt to popularise basketball in India through superstars as ‘futile’.

The shooting guard is, however, hopeful that tournaments like the InBL U25 can improve the state of the game in the country.

Bhriguvanshi, who was handed the Arjuna award in 2020, was a part of the Indian team that won the Gold Medal in 3x3 basketball at the Asian Beach Games in 2008.

NBA’s publicity stunt

Vishesh, speaking to The Bridge, slammed the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) decision to market the game through Bollywood star Ranveer Singh.

While it was expected to have a considerable influence in India, Bhriguvanshi sums it up with a simple question, “What did Ranveer Singh do?”

The superstar partnered with the NBA on its 75th anniversary and was made the face of the NBA in 2022. It is fair to say that Bhriguvanshi was not amused by the publicity stunt.

On the contrary, he believes having multiple leagues in the country is the best way to develop the sport.

Citing the US as an example, he states that leagues will not just help with the exposure of the sport but also assist the scouts in keeping track of players and their development.

“How (do) people find the players (for NBA draft)? Through stats and everything. Not just only on the FIBA website. Once you play the leagues, there are more stats on how the player has performed. From there, the agencies can scout and find players for other big leagues,” added the India international.

A popular game

Bhrigubanshi recalled how basketball has picked up in popularity in the country over the past decades.

A die-hard LeBron James fan, he recalled the days when there was no NBA broadcast in the country. Moves were learnt after watching footage collected by a friend from the internet connection available college.

Now, with ready internet access and live broadcasts of the league, the game has become more accessible to youngsters who adore Steph Curry, cheer for Luka Doncic, and try to learn from Kyrie Irving.

“If you go to any school or college, you won’t find anything except a basketball court. So, basketball is already very popular,” observes Bhrigubanshi.

While camps, and other forms of exposure do exist in the country, he believes that the only thing that hinders basketball in India is the lack of leagues.

“The only thing that was missing was the leagues, and they (FIBA) are also working on that. InBL U25 is here; they are also planning on a Pro league.”

The 33-year-old is, however, optimistic about the future.

‘You will see improvement’

“In the coming years, things will be on a good track, and you’ll see the improvement in all the areas. There is a lot of talent.”

Growing up playing the sport and thereafter, donning national colours, Bhrigubanshi doesn’t discount his role in the process of grooming others.

The 2017 United Basketball Alliance MVP is aware of his role in inspiring raw talent that awaits mentoring.

“See, right now, I think I’m the one who can encourage them, with my experience,” he concluded.