37-570: The Indian National Basketball League is a basketball league in India . The INBL was founded in 2021. The league was granted a five-year license by the BFI to run the competition and also help promote the 3x3 version of the game. In its first season, the INBL allowed only Indian players to participate, with the aim being to provide players with additional competitive games to improve their standards towards
74-654: A high school postgraduate since 2005. In April 2017, India on track (IOT) collaborated with NBA to form NBA Basketball Schools to train kids and teach them to play the NBA way. There are more than 12 centres running around the country from Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, and many more. The first ever NBA games in India took place on 4 and 5 October 2019 at the NSCI Dome in Mumbai . The NBA India Games featured two preseason games between
111-437: A knockout play-in game for a semifinal berth against Delhi Capitals. South Division play-in game saw Pune Peshwas edge out Bengaluru Beast (79-73) for a semifinal matchup with Chennai Slam. The semifinal and final series were best of three contests each. North Division semifinals saw Delhi Capitals drop their first game (75-69) to Mumbai Challengers but they rallied and won the next two matches (72-61 and 78-69) to go through to
148-531: A league-leading 41.2 points per game. The postseason saw a play-in game for each division and a best of three semifinals and finals series. The teams played six games each in the regular season within their division. The postseason saw a play-in game for each division and best of three semifinal and final series. (* won tiebreak for 2nd place) UBA season 1 semifinals involved Pune Peshwas, Haryana Gold, Chennai Slam and Punjab Steelers. Haryana Gold faced Pune Peshwas and Chennai Slam faced Punjab Steelers for
185-545: Is a popular sport with a multiple club league system, as well as state and national teams. Indian basketball made significant improvements, most notably in 2015, making them one of the top emerging continental teams. Basketball was brought to India in 1893–4 by Canadian T. Duncan Patton, who later returned to India as the Acting General Secretary of the Calcutta YMCA from 1903 to 1905. The game
222-541: Is mainly being run and managed by a large number of national and state level associations, spread all over India. These basketball associations are working with a common view of popularising the game in all parts of the country. Apart from that, developing the overall infrastructure for the game and uncovering new talent from the grassroots level are some of the other principal objectives of the Indian basketball associations. India's first ever professional basketball league UBA
259-552: The Basketball Federation of India did not invite UBA players for national and international tournaments. UBA was replaced by Elite Pro Basketball League in 2022. The UBA comprised eight teams which competed across two divisions: Mumbai Challengers , Delhi Capitals , Punjab Steelers and Haryana Gold in the North Division , while Chennai Slam , Pune Peshwas, Bengaluru Beast and Hyderabad Sky made
296-769: The Elite Pro Basketball League and look to qualify for competitions such as the Olympics and World Cups . The inaugural season was held between October 2022 and January 2023 across three different cities, namely Kochi , Pune and Delhi . The Chennai Heat won the first-ever INBL championship after defeating the Bengaluru Kings in the finals, that were hosted in the Kanteerava Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru . Following
333-922: The IPL as a perfect model to use. One of the first people to have been accepted to the IMG Reliance program, Satnam Singh Bhamara , had also declared to go for the 2015 NBA draft while coming straight out of the IMG Reliance program as a post-graduate. When Bhamara was selected by the Dallas Mavericks as the 52nd pick of the draft, he would be the first player to have been drafted directly out of high school without any additional international, college, or D-League competition since Amir Johnson back in 2005. Founded as best Indian diaspora basketball team, they participate at various international events, such as The Basketball Tournament . UBA Pro Basketball League The United Basketball Alliance ( UBA )
370-835: The Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers , and marked the first time that teams from a North American sports league played in India. In June 2010, a deal was struck with the Basketball Federation of India and the IMG - Reliance joint venture which aimed to take Indian basketball to a professional level. The 30-year deal sees IMG Reliance take control of the game launching a league, controlling merchandise, developing infrastructure and other commercial aspects in this new development. The BFI will launch and control school and college leagues with assistance from IMG. IMG Reliance will also construct academies in India in line with
407-649: The South Division . UBA season 1 was held during 17–30 July 2015 at Gachibowli Indoor Stadium , Hyderabad , Telangana . Chennai Slam won the UBA Championship in Season 1. Ravi Bhardwaj (Punjab Steelers) was the MVP of UBA season 1, averaging 20.3 points per game. Each team played six games in the regular season. After the regular season, the team leading their division faced the runners-up from
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#1732775263127444-870: The 5x5 tournament, the INBL also hosted an inaugural 3x3 tournament. In May 2024, the league was relaunched as INBL Pro with an August start date and six city-based teams. The competition ultimately did not go ahead due to contract and legal disputes. On 30 October 2024, the Indian Panthers , a team owned by the INBL Pro, entered the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL) for the 2025 season . The team will be based exclusively in South Auckland . Basketball in India In India , basketball
481-541: The IMG Florida sports academy. In July, coaches from Florida came to India to select 8 boys and girls between the ages of 13 and 15 to take to the US on a scholarship. The first batch was selected and is preparing to undertake the scholarship at IMG Florida. More scholarships will be offered with the aim of launching India's first professional league in four years. IMG chief Ted Fortsmann and Reliance owner Mukesh Ambani see
518-432: The NBA inaugurate a refurbished basketball court in a Mumbai suburb. In April 2015, Canadian Sim Bhullar made his professional debut in the NBA, becoming the first player of Indian descent in the league. Two months later, Satnam Singh Bhamara became the first Indian to ever be selected in the NBA by being the 52nd pick in the 2015 NBA draft for the Dallas Mavericks . He'd also been the first player to be drafted as
555-549: The North Division semifinals series, Punjab Steelers mounted a 14-point comeback in the first game and defeated Haryana Gold (98-91). They won their next game (106-97) to make it to the finals series. In the South Division semifinals series, Chennai Slam defeated Pune Peshwas in two games (98-91 and 97-79) to face Punjab Steelers in finals. The finals series went the distance to three games, with Chennai Slam winning
592-746: The UBA U.S. pro training camp, UBA CEO Tommy Fisher had said: "I think the most important thing is pushing the boys of India to a higher level of competition than they’ve probably been able to achieve. The one thing that we have that I see is there’s heart and there’s effort and these players of India want to become better. They listen when the coaches talk to them. They want to become better basketball players. And so, we’re starting at something that’s pure that hopefully, we can make great." The exercise drills have been specially designed by Keith Wilson, head performance coach at Pro Advantage Systems in Phoenix. He’s designed
629-507: The UBA was Chennai Slam . The tournament was folded in 2017 after it completed its fourth season and in 2022 the league was replaced with the EPBL and the developmental INBL. The National Basketball Championship is national level basketball tournament for both men and women, organised by the Basketball Federation of India, contested among the regional state teams affiliated under the federation. The National Basketball Association has realised
666-493: The best players in India to world class training, facilities and competition. They underwent intense training sessions including four hours of basketball training and two hours of strength and conditioning training every day. The players also got an opportunity to engage in team building activities and fun excursions. The goal of the cap was to inculcate habits in the players which they carry back with them and imbibe in their daily routines to elevate their game higher. Speaking about
703-549: The exercises with the express intent to improve the attributes of the players and condition them for improved performance on the basketball court. He had said: "I like to teach as I train so I want to educate them. Everything I do with someone I have a reason for it. So, every athlete I work with, I don’t just arbitrarily throw something in their program. I can explain everything and that’s what I’ve tried to do during this training process so they can understand what I’m trying to accomplish with them." The first UBA U.S. pro training camp
740-546: The finals series. In the South Division , Chennai Slam won the opening match vs Pune Peshwas (88-72), dropped the next one (73-71) before decisively pulling away with a win in the third match (97-76) to set up a date with Delhi Capitals in the finals series. The final series saw Chennai Slam take a 1-0 lead over Delhi Capitals with a 77-62 win. Delhi Capitals once again rallied and won the next two games (77-67 and 92-65) to win their first UBA Championship. UBA season 3 saw Punjab Steelers (North) and Chennai Slam (South) finish at
777-424: The first match (101-83) after overcoming an 11-point deficit. Punjab Steelers took the second game (83-81), but Chennai Slam took the crown with a (69-59) win in the third and decisive game to win their second UBA championship. UBA season 4 had Mumbai Challengers (North) and Pune Peshwas (South) finish at the top of the table in the regular season, earning them semifinal berths. Punjab Steelers and Bengaluru Beast won
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#1732775263127814-1081: The game among the younger generation. It is played by both men and women of all ages and ability. Many government institutions have professional basketball teams who play for them. For example, ONGC in Uttarakhand , Indian Overseas Bank in Tamil Nadu , Indian Bank in Karnataka , Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited in New Delhi , Indian Railways , and Kerala State Electricity Board in Trivandrum play for their respective institution and state. There are many championships for senior, junior, and youth levels for boys and girls. Invitational all-India tournaments like Master Prithvinath Memorial, Don Bosco Invitational Tournament, Kiloi Invitational Tournament, Ramu Memorial and many other are being organised every year. Indian basketball has championships throughout
851-610: The immense potential of the sport in this large and growing market, and is working hard with the Basketball Federation of India to expand its popularity. Late in 2008, NBA great Robert Parish came to India as part of the NBA/WNBA Hoop School Program. This relationship further expanded into a cultural exchange, which saw Bollywood superstars Lara Dutta and Dino Morea make a trip to watch the Los Angeles Lakers in action, and on 8 April 2009, saw
888-503: The other division for the semi-finals. (* won tiebreak for 2nd place) UBA Season 2 was held in two legs. The first leg was during 18–28 February 2016 in Balewadi Stadium, Pune, Maharashtra. The second leg was held from 23 March to 3 April 2016 at Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad, Telangana. Delhi Capitas bested Chennai Slam in a 3-game finals series to claim the title of season 2. Vinay Kaushik (Delhi Capitals)
925-471: The other semifinals. Pune defeated Haryana (81-80) and Chennai overcame Punjab (92-77). In the one-game final, Chennai defeated Pune (81-49). This marked the first and only time that two teams from the same division faced each other in the finals. UBA season 2 playoffs saw the division leaders Delhi Capitals (North) and Chennai Slam (South) book their places in the semifinals series. In the North Division , Mumbai Challengers eliminated Punjab Steelers (78-76) in
962-784: The other two semifinal berths. Punjab Steelers toppled Delhi Capitals (102-92) in the North Division play-in game, and Bengaluru Beast defeated Hyderabad Sky (116-113) in the South Division play-in game to set up the semifinal showdown. In the semifinal series, Mumbai Challengers defeated Punjab Steelers in two games (128-114 and 120-104), while Bengaluru Beast put Pune Peshwas away in two games as well (138-133 and 113-107). Mumbai Challengers needed just two games to come out on top of Bengaluru Beast (winning 110-95 and 118-105 ) as they won their first UBA Championship. UBA has conducted three UBA U.S. pro training camps thus far. The camps were held in Phoenix , Arizona . The camps were designed to expose
999-408: The top of the table in the regular season to book semifinal berths. The other two semifinal berths went to Haryana Gold and Pune Peshwas. Haryana Gold won the North Division play-in game against Mumbai Challengers (97-91), while Pune Peshwas defeated Hyderabad Sky (101-94) in the South Division play-in game to book semifinal berths. The semifinal and final were played in a best of three formats. In
1036-602: The year for different age groups. Championships for youth are mainly between April and July when children have their summer break from school. Basketball is especially popular among the Tibetan exile community in Dharamshala. Being one of the earliest countries to adopt basketball, India has so far produced numerous talented basketballers who have earned recognition in the international arena. Indian players have also won several trophies for their country. Basketball in India
1073-571: Was awarded MVP honors, averaging 18.7 points per game. Each team played seven games in the regular season. Five games were played in the first leg in Pune. Hyderabad leg saw the teams play two regular season games in addition to the postseason. Season 2 postseason included a play-in game for each division to determine semi-finalists between the 2nd and 3rd place team. The semifinals and finals were best-of-three series. (* won tiebreak for 1st place) (** won tiebreak for 2nd place) UBA Season 3
1110-563: Was held in Balewadi Stadium, Pune, Maharashtra from 15 to 31 July 2016. The season 3 championship was won by Chennai Slam after they defeated Punjab Steelers in three games. Narender Grewal (Pune Peshwas) won MVP honors, averaging 31.8 points per game. Each team played 4 games in the regular season, including cross-division matches. The post-season saw a play-in game for each division and best of three semifinals and finals series. (* won tiebreak for 2nd place) (**- won tiebreak for 1st place) (***- won tiebreak for 3rd place) UBA season 4
1147-697: Was held in December 2016. It was attended by Akashdeep Hazra (Haryana Gold), Dildar Brar (Mumbai Challengers), Gurvinder Singh "Garry" Gill (Punjab Steelers), Gaurav Ohlan (Pune Peshwas), Himanshu Sharma (Haryana Gold), Jairam Jat (Chennai Slam), Mahesh Padmanabhan (Hyderabad Sky), Ajinkya Mane (Pune Peshwas), Manu Thomas (Hyderabad Sky), Nikhil (Mumbai Challengers), Prudhvi Reddy (Mumbai Challengers), Siddhant Shinde (Pune Peshwas), Taj Sandhu (Punjab Steelers) and Vikas Mor (Haryana Gold). The players also had an opportunity to attend an NBA game between Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks . The 3rd UBA U.S. pro training camp
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1184-567: Was held in December 2017. It was attended by Satnam Singh (1st Indian drafted in NBA), Garry Gill ( Punjab Steelers ), Jagdeep Bains (Mumbai Challengers), Khushmeet Singh Atwal ( Bengaluru Beast ), Loveneet Singh Atwal (Bengaluru Beast), Ajinkya Mane (Pune Peshwas), Narender Grewal (Pune Peshwas), Nikhil Dahiya (Mumbai Challengers), Palpreet Brar (Bengaluru Beast), Prudhvi Reddy (Mumbai Challengers), Siddhant Shinde (Pune Peshwas) and Yadwinder Singh (Haryana Gold). In addition to these 12 players,
1221-467: Was held in November 2015. The following players were selected to participate in the 1st camp: Ajinkya Mehta (Pune Peshwas), Gurvinder Singh Gill (Punjab Steelers), Jagdeep Bains (Mumbai Challengers), Kaif Zia (Bengaluru Beast), Ram Kumar (Chennai Slam), Ravi Bhardwaj (Punjab Steelers), Taj Sandhu (Punjab Steelers), Vijay (Pune Peshwas) and Yudhvir (Delhi Capitals) The second UBA U.S. pro training camp
1258-481: Was held in two legs, with the first leg being held at Sathyabama University , Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and the second leg at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium , Goa . Season 4 championship was won by Mumbai Challengers as they bested Bengaluru Beast in two games in the best of three finals series. Vishesh Bhriguvanshi (Bengaluru Beast) won Indian MVP honors, averaging 28.3 points per game and Dermaine Crockrell (Punjab Steelers) won International MVP honors, with
1295-484: Was initially most popular among women, although slow to spread. The country's first match is recorded as 1930 by some sources, with the first Indian National Championship for men being held in 1934 in New Delhi. The Basketball Federation of India (BFI), which controls the game in India, was formed in 1950. Basketball is played in most Indian high schools, colleges and universities. There is considerable patronage for
1332-526: Was started in 2015. UBA completed four seasons in India. The Basketball Federation of India was established in 1950 and is the official governing body of basketball in India. It follows FIBA rules for organising basketball championships and is affiliated to FIBA Asia and the Indian Olympic Association . India created its first professional basketball league, titled Universal Basketball Alliance (UBA), in 2015. The first winner of
1369-553: Was the first men’s professional basketball league in India , comprising eight teams. The UBA was headquartered in Pune and had a city team, Pune Peshwas . The first UBA match was played on 17 July 2015 at Gachibowli Indoor Stadium , Hyderabad between Bengaluru Beast and Pune Peshwas. The match was won by Pune Peshwas as they pulled out an 88-81 win. This marked the first time a professional basketball league tipped off in India. The league played out between 2015 and 2017. However,
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