Page 10 - The Indian EYE 071026

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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