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Page 10 - The Indian EYE 071026
P. 10

    The Indian Eye
                                            Op-Ed                                                                                           10
                                                                                                                         JULY 10, 2026

               Sports Diplomacy in Action:

                   Basketball Connects India

                              and the United States

             At the Freedom 250 Slam Dunk Experience in New Delhi, young basketball

                      players met NBA representatives and Hall of Famer Vlade Divac,

                                  highlighting U.S.-India sports diplomacy in action.

            CHARVI ARORA,
            SPAN Magazine
                 or a generation of young Indian
                 basketball players, the United
            FStates feels closer than a map
            might suggest. They follow National
            Basketball Association (NBA)  stars
            on social media, study their moves on
            YouTube, debate their favorite play-
            ers, and dream of competing on the
            world’s biggest stage.
                In May 2026, that connection
            came to life at the American Center
            New Delhi during the Freedom 250
            Slam Dunk Experience. More than
            150 students from schools and bas-
            ketball academies across Delhi gath-
            ered  to meet representatives  from
            the NBA, the premier professional
            basketball league in the United States
            and home to the sport’s biggest stars.
                The event was organized as part
            of Freedom 250  celebrations, an ini-
            tiative marking the 250th anniversary
            of the United States. In New Delhi,
            the U.S. Embassy partnered with
            the  Sacramento  Kings  ,  an  Ameri-
            can professional basketball team, to
            create an opportunity for students to
            connect through sport, skill-building,
            and shared aspirations.           of the event participants, Antetok-  el, hopes to compete internationally   their belief that basketball’s future in
                                              ounmpo stands out as an inspira-  one day. “My aim is to make it to the   India is bright.
                The growing footprint of      tion. Mishra admires the Milwaukee   NBA,” he says.                    “Basketball  is  growing  in  In-
                   basketball in India        Bucks star “because he is very domi-  His  schoolmate,  Mayank  Tyagi,  dia, and it really has a future,” says
                                              nating and he is very powerful.” Like   shares a similar goal. “I want to play   Rudrakshi Verma of Nehru World
                     hen asked about their bas-  many young players at the event, he   for India, but my main aim is to play   School. She believes the sport offers
                     ketball heroes, the students   hopes to play professionally outside   internationally,” he says.   lessons  that  extend  beyond  athletic
            Wanswer quickly: Stephen          India and eventually compete at the   Throughout  the  event,  partici-  performance. “It’s not just about the
            Curry, Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson,  highest level of the sport.     pants  rotated  across  shooting,  pass-  game. We get to meet new people, we
            Devin Booker, and Giannis Antetok-    Those ambitions were a common   ing,  and  dribbling  stations  while   get to learn new things, we get sports-
            ounmpo. The names span different   theme  throughout  the  day.  Krish-  interacting  with  coaches  from  the   manship, which we cannot learn from
            eras,  teams,  and  playing  styles,  re-  na Singh, a 16-year-old player from   Sacramento  Kings  and  fellow  play-  books or academically,” she says.
            flecting basketball’s growing reach.   Nehru World School who represent-  ers from across Delhi. For many   Simran from Shiv Nadar School
                For  Aphyupang  Mishra,  one   ed Uttar Pradesh at the national lev-  students, the experience reinforced   Continued on next page... >>

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