‘Right heroes, right infrastructure’: the NBA’s plan for Indian basketball
At the 2026 NBA Rising Stars Invitational, India’s defeats revealed more than just the gap between Asia’s best. For NBA India boss Sunny Malik, the bigger story is the journey now taking shape – from Jr. NBA to RSI and beyond – as the league strives to build an ecosystem that consistently produces elite basketball talent. TimesofIndia.com in SINGAPORE: For nearly two quarters against Indonesia’s Jubliee School in their opening game of the 2026 NBA Rising Star Invitational in Singapore, Velammal International School looked capable of competing. India’s lone representatives moved the ball with confidence and defended with intent to spell.Then came the pressure. The pace quickened, the legs tired, and the gap kept widening. At the final buzzer, the scoreboard read 95-61.In their second game against South Korea’s Kyungbock High School – one of Asia’s strongest school programs – and the eventual winners, a relentless full-court press squeezed out every possession. The passing lanes have disappeared. Turnover increased. Each defensive rebound quickly became another attack.By the time the final buzzer sounded, Velammal suffered a 131-46 defeat.Head coach Shamsher Basha did not dwell on the score. Instead, he identified the problem directly. “Yes, the problem was stamina,” Basha told Timesofindia.com.His quarterback Fyodor Prem Athithan noticed something even more fundamental.“They were pushing for a full trial,” he said. “Back in India there was no full-court pressure, just a zone defence. Here it’s full-court pressure, so next time we should do better and make the right moves.”
Image credit: NBA Rising Star Invitational
Kushal Singh, a former member of the NBA Academy in India, came to a similar conclusion.“We know other countries are better at basketball, so we can play with better competition,” he said.It was a similar pattern over six days at Singapore’s OCBC Arena. Watching Japanese, South Korean, Chinese and Australian schools compete, the differences weren’t just limited to height or athleticism. Whether the teams were protecting a tight lead or comfortably in front, the ball rarely stayed still.
Where the difference really lies
The gap wasn’t just in talent. It was one of the exhibits.And for NBA India boss Sunny Malik, that’s exactly why tournaments like the NBA Rising Stars Invitational have become so important.“RSI is an amazing platform for high school players,” Malik told TimesofIndia.com.“It gives them the opportunity to compete against the best teams in Asia. It gives huge exposure and allows the young players to understand where they are compared to the best in the region.”“For the Indian team that participated, I think it’s a great learning platform and an important step to help them improve every year and eventually become regular competitors on the circuit.”
Sunny Malik (Image Credit: NBA Rising Star Invitational)
When asked specifically about India’s fight against the South Korean press, Malik’s response echoed exactly what Basha and Fyodor had already described.“I think more practice matches in the full-court format would go a long way. Looking at the Indian team, they played well in the first and second quarters. But once the game entered the third quarter, they started to lose their breath and that’s when they also lost their momentum.”“Longer training sessions, more competitive games, more exposure to stronger teams and increased competition in 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 local presence in India has largely revolved around one program—the Jr. NBA. It introduced thousands of kids to the game, took coaches to schools across the country and became the largest grassroots league initiative in India. But what happened after that?For many young players, the path beyond high school basketball has never been clearly defined. That, Malik believes, is finally starting to change.“We’ve been running our NBA junior program for the last 13 years and I believe it’s a great platform for kids to learn the right style of basketball and develop the right mindset to move up the ladder,” he said.“But starting this year, we’re looking to increase the age group from 14 to 16. This gives us a much broader player base, creates more competition and allows more players who have progressed through the under-14 program to go on to compete in the junior NBA under-16.”“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 incremental, but it’s actually part of a much larger shift in how the NBA views player development in India.As the NBA Rising Stars Invitational now completes its second edition, the league is beginning to connect in a way that didn’t exist before.A player can now enter the system through the Junior NBA, continue to compete at the Under-16 level, advance to the proposed NBA Rising Stars Invitational qualifier and, if successful, gain the opportunity to compete against the top school teams in Asia at the Rising Stars Invitational.Beyond that lies another possibility.“The RSI Qualifier… is definitely up,” Malik revealed.“We would like to build the RSI qualifiers because having the best teams qualify through the competition brings a lot more energy and credibility to the final teams than having them go 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 bring basketball closer to children. They are trying to ensure that talented young people remain in the competitive system even as they age.
When exposure becomes opportunity
This journey is already beginning to yield tangible results across the region, according to Sheila Rasu, head of marketing for Southeast Asia and Asia at the NBA.“I don’t think it’s something for the future,” Rasu said when asked if the Rising Stars Invitational could become a stepping stone to elite basketball.“I think it’s already happening.She pointed to last year’s tournament where scouts identified five girls who were subsequently invited to Bakeball Without Borders, the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program.
Sheila Rasu (Image Credit: NBA Rising Star Invitational)
“So it’s already happening. We have scouts participating every year and we’re already using this tournament as a platform to identify young and promising talent.”Rasu offered another example that perhaps best illustrates what the NBA hopes this contest can eventually become.“Last year, Yongsan High School from South Korea participated, and the MVP of that team immediately signed a professional contract in the Korean Basketball League. Now he has also made the national team.“Daniel Edi was first seen at our event and then went on to not only sign a professional contract but also 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 of the Korea Basketball League (KBL), making history as the first ever player selected straight out of high school through the KBL Local Draft Pick system. He made his debut for the Korean men’s national team during the second window of the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers earlier this year. And maybe with results like the above, conversations about college basketball, the pro leagues and eventually the NBA will become realistic, and that long-term thinking is exactly why Malik insists the conversation shouldn’t revolve around one standout player.
An invitation to a rising NBA star
Strengthening the basketball ecosystem
“I totally agree,” he said when asked about the importance of developing coaches alongside players.“Ecosystem development is just as important as player development.“You need federations, associations and all relevant stakeholders to come together and invest in coach development because that’s where the real skill development starts. That’s where the real foundation is built.”“This base has to be strong if we want to consistently produce great players from India.It’s a philosophy shared across the NBA’s operations in Asia. “The ecosystem is not just about players,” explained Rasu.“Obviously the most important thing is to help players improve their skills, but there is also a need to improve the overall level of the game. That means developing coaches, referees and exposing more young people to basketball.”“Referees and coaching clinics help raise the overall level of the basketball community, so as more tournaments emerge, there is enough expertise within the ecosystem to support them.”The difference between India’s representatives and the continent’s leading school programs was rarely one of effort. Velammal competed, fought for loose balls and continued to play with energy, even as the scoreline drifted away.
An invitation to a rising NBA star
Malík believes that stronger domestic competition will be just as important.“We also need stronger competition at the national level. With some of the changes being planned at the national level, including new leagues being discussed, there may be more opportunities for Indians to connect with basketball and become more involved in the sport.”The final day in Singapore brought champions, individual awards and memorable performances.
More than one hero
For the lone representatives of India, however, the most valuable thing they took with them lay elsewhere. Coach Basha talked about persistence. Fyodor talked about facing the all-holiday press, which he rarely encounters at home. Kaushal spoke of finally understanding where his team stood against the best in Asia.Malik combined these experiences into something much bigger.“I don’t think there’s one thing that can bring a big audience to basketball,” he said. “It has to be a combination of factors.“Having the right player to represent India on the global stage would certainly be one of the important steps. We celebrate heroes in this country and we have seen that in cricket.”“So having the right heroes combined with the right infrastructure and ecosystem will help us build generations of players. We need a system that consistently produces talent, not just one player making it to the global stage, but many players coming through on a regular basis.”
NBA Schedule for Indian Basketball (Image: NBA Rising Star Invitational)