For spectators, memory for life

India may be years away from having one of its own playing regularly in the top-flight NBA but there’s no dearth of connoisseurs of the sport in this part of the world. For these two preseason NBA games, spectators came from different parts of the country and were overwhelmed by the experience.

For the aspiring cagers, watching top NBA stars live was an education; for the casual sports lovers, the adrenal-pumping action was their ‘I was there’ moment. “Loud music, unbelievable skills and top performance... it was just so amazing,” said Anant Gore, a local basketball fan. “It was an amazing experience to sit right on the edge of the court and watch these players live. Some of us were happy to become court cleaners to observe these players from close,” said an aspiring cager from Tamil Nadu. “It would take us years to match their energy levels. The NBA matches are fast and the rules are also different from normal matches. If such games get introduced in India, it’s going to be a real game changer.” And if someone felt it’s impossible for Indian basketball to come even anyway close to the NBA standards, Dikembe Mutombo, the NBA Hall of Famer, has some encouraging words. “For long, people said there’s no chance of a league in Africa. We travelled there many times, organising grassroots initiatives and developing the game for young people. And now basketball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the continent,” said Mutombo. “I believe India has the same platform. We’ve seen basketball grow in China and Philippines. We are not looking to take over cricket here (India), but the youngsters should have a chance to decide which sport they want to play.”