‘The right champions, the right infrastructure’: The NBA’s roadmap for Indian basketball

TimesofIndia.com in Singapore: For nearly two quarters against Indonesia’s Jubliee School in their opening game of the NBA’s Rising Star Invitational 2026 in Singapore, Velammal International School looked competitive.

India’s only representatives moved the ball with confidence and defended with intent for periods.Then the pressure arrived. The pace quickened, the legs tired, and the margin steadily widened. When the final buzzer sounded, the score was 95-61.In their second match against South Korea’s Gyeongbuk High School – one of the strongest school programs in Asia – and the eventual winners, their team successfully pressed the entire field to squeeze every possession.

The passing lanes have disappeared. The value of trades increased. Every defensive rebound quickly turned into another attack.By the time the final buzzer sounded, Villamal had been beaten 131-46.Coach Shamshir Pasha did not address the result. Instead, identify the problem directly. “Yes, stamina was an issue,” Pasha told Timesofindia.com.His guard, Fyodor Prem Athithan, noticed something more important.

“They were pushing full court,” he said. “Back in India, there was no full pressure on the pitch, just zonal defence. Here, there is full pressure on the pitch, so next time we should be able to handle it better and make the right moves.”

Former NBA India Academy recruit Kushal Singh came to a similar conclusion.“We know that other countries are better at basketball, so we get better competition to play against,” he said.Over the course of six days inside Singapore’s OCBC Stadium, those patterns were similar. When watching the Japanese, South Korean, Chinese and Australian schools compete, the differences were not limited to height or physical fitness. The ball rarely stays put whether teams are protecting a narrow lead or taking a comfortable lead.

That’s where the difference really lies

The gap wasn’t just a talent gap. It was one of exposure.And for NBA India President Sunny Malik, this is exactly why tournaments like the NBA Rising Stars Invitational have become so important.“RSI is a great platform for high school players,” Malik told TimesofIndia.com.He added: “It gives them the opportunity to compete against the best teams in Asia. It provides a massive opportunity and allows young players to understand where they stand compared to the best in the region.“For the Indian team that participated, I think it is a great learning platform and an important step in helping them improve every year and eventually become regular competitors on the circuit.”

When asked specifically about India’s struggle against mass journalism in South Korea, Malik’s answer echoed exactly what Pasha and Fyodor had already described.“I think more full-court practice matches would go a long way. Looking at the Indian team, they competed well in the first and second quarters. However, once the game entered the third quarter, they started losing steam, and that’s when they lost momentum as well.”“Longer training, more competitive games, greater exposure against stronger teams, and increased competition within India can all go a long way in helping them compete consistently at this level.”

Building the missing path

For most of the past decade, the NBA’s popular presence in India has largely revolved around one program – Jr. NBA. It has introduced the game to thousands of children, accompanied coaches to schools across the country, and become the league’s largest grassroots initiative in India. But what happened next?For many young players, the path beyond school basketball was never clearly defined.

Malik believes this is finally starting to change.“We’ve been running our NBA junior varsity program for the past 13 years, and I think it’s a great platform for kids to learn about the right style of basketball and develop the right mindset to move up the ladder,” he said.“But from this year onwards, we are trying to increase the age group from Under-14 to Under-16. This gives us a wider pool of players, creates greater competition, and allows more players who have progressed through the Under-14 program to continue competing in the NBA Under-16 Junior League.“This additional exposure will help prepare them for the level of basketball they need to play if they want to compete internationally.”The change may seem gradual, but it’s actually part of a much larger shift in how the NBA views player development in India.With the NBA Rising Stars Invitational now completing its second edition, the league is beginning to put together a trajectory that never existed before.A player can now enter the system through Junior NBA, continue competing at the under-16 level, graduate at the proposed NBA Rising Stars Invitational qualifiers, and if successful, get the chance to compete against the best school teams in Asia at the Rising Stars Invitational.Beyond that lies another possibility.“RSI qualifiers are definitely on the cards,” Malik revealed.“We like to lean on the RSI qualifiers because having the best teams qualify through the competition brings more energy and credibility to the finalists than having them come through nominations or selections by the Basketball Federation of India.”The NBA is trying to create continuity, and the league’s ambition is no longer just to introduce kids to basketball. It attempts to ensure that talented young people remain within a competitive system as they grow older.

When exposure becomes opportunity

This path, according to Sheila Raso, the NBA’s head of marketing for Southeast Asia and Asia, has already begun to yield tangible results across the region.“I don’t think it’s something for the future,” Raso said when asked if the Rising Stars Invitational could become a stepping stone to basketball’s elite.“I think this is already happening.”She pointed to last year’s tournament, where scouts identified five girls who were later invited to participate in Basketball Without Borders, FIBA ​​and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program.

“This is what actually happens. We have scouts who attend every year, and we are actually using this tournament as a platform to identify young and promising talents,” he added.Raso offered another example that perhaps best illustrates what the NBA hopes this rivalry will eventually become.“Last year, Yongsan High School from South Korea participated, and the best player on this team immediately went on to sign a professional contract in the Korean Basketball League. He has now also joined the national team.“Daniel Eide was first seen at our event and went on to not only sign a professional contract but also to represent his country.

“There will be more stories like this, and we want to create more stories like this.”Edi was drafted by the Seoul SK Knights in the Korean Basketball League (KBL), making history as the first player ever to be selected e straight out of high school through the KBL’s local draft pick system. He made his debut for the Korea men’s national team during the second window of the 2027 FIBA ​​Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers earlier this year. And perhaps with results like the above, will conversations about college basketball, professional leagues, and eventually the NBA become realistic, and this long-term thinking is precisely why Malik insists the conversation not revolve around one exceptional player.

Strengthening the basketball ecosystem

“I completely agree,” he said in response to a question about the importance of developing coaches alongside players.“Developing the ecosystem is as important as developing the players.“You need the federation, the federations and all the relevant stakeholders to work together and invest in the development of coaches because that is where the actual skills development starts. This is where the real foundation is built.“This foundation must be strong if we are to consistently produce great players from India.”It’s a shared philosophy across the NBA’s operations in Asia. “The ecosystem is not just about the players,” Raso explained.“Of course, the most important thing is to help players improve their skills, but you also need to improve the overall level of the game. This means developing coaches and referees and introducing more young people to basketball.“Referee clinics and training help raise the overall profile of the basketball community, so that as more tournaments emerge, there is enough experience within the ecosystem to support them.”The difference between India’s representatives and the continent’s leading school programs has rarely been about effort. Villamal competed and fought for loose balls and continued to play with energy even when the score went away.

Malek believes that stronger local competition will be equally important.“We also need stronger competition at the national level. With some changes being planned at the national level, including new leagues being discussed, there may be more opportunities for Indians to connect with basketball and get more involved in the sport.”By the final day in Singapore, the tournament had produced champions, individual awards and memorable performances.

More than a hero

But for India’s only representatives, the most valuable outcome lies elsewhere. Coach Al-Basha talked about endurance. Fedor spoke of facing the full press he rarely encounters in his home country. Kaushal spoke about finally understanding where his team stands against the best in Asia.Malik connected those experiences to something much bigger.“I don’t think there’s just one thing that can attract a big basketball audience,” he said. “It has to be a combination of factors.“Having the right player to represent India on the global stage will definitely be an important step. We celebrate heroes in this country, and we have seen that in cricket.“So, having the right champions, combined with the right infrastructure and ecosystem, will help us build generations of players. We need a system that is constantly producing talent, not just one player arriving on the world stage, but many players coming through regularly.”