Indian Basketball Players: The discussions in the bar continue. James or Jordan? Magic or Kareem? Chamberlain or Russell? Who has played in the NBA the longest? Fans have spirited debates. They make use of statistics, prizes, individual rewards, and the eye test. Because there are so many different metrics, the discussion is what makes being a basketball fan so fascinating. Even while the end answer—Michael Jordan—might be obvious to some, the process is what gives the whole thing life.
However, there aren’t many concrete ways for basketball fans in India to assess and contrast the excellence of our own finest players. India is still in the backcountry even as international basketball moves into an era of cutting-edge statistics, player monitoring, and quantifiable figures to compare players—not to mention the account of their total historical accomplishments.
Other than their past FIBA/Olympic accomplishments, there are few places to find statistical information about the success of Indian basketball players, whether it be domestically or globally. There aren’t many news articles to look up earlier achievements in, and even fewer footage of athletes from nearly any era. The vast bulk of statistical information is spoken. Legends and eyewitness accounts have often been used to judge excellence rather than hard data.
In India, there has never been a full-length professional league. The majority of how we measure the greats must be based on how well they represent their country during international competition or how well they do at home during national championships. We can also take into account the rare historical instances that have elevated some Indian basketball players to legendary status, given the infrequent nature of international success itself.
6 Best And Greatest Indian Basketball Players Of All Time
Here are the guys I believe should be considered for our G.O.A.T.: The best Indian basketball players of all time, Check them out:
Men
Khushi Ram
The late Khushi Ram sometimes referred to as “The Magician of Basketball in India” and “The Scoring Machine of Asia,” is recognised as one of the greatest players to ever represent the nation and, during his heyday, was one of Asia’s top players. Ram, who is originally from Jhamri village in Haryana, started playing basketball for the Indian Armed Forces on the national circuit in 1952 and helped them win a national championship for 10 straight years while winning multiple “Best Player” titles. He competed for Rajasthan at the Nationals as well.
Ram played a key role in the Indian national team’s success from 1964 to 1972. He led India to their first-ever appearance in the Asian Basketball Confederation Championship in Malaysia in 1965, which is now known as the FIBA Asia Cup. India came in seventh place overall. He had the top score at the competition and was the only Indian to do it at the Senior Men’s level.
He finished second and third in the subsequent Asian Championships held in Korea and Thailand, respectively. He won the 10th Anniversary Celebrations Championship in Manila in 1970, scoring 43 points versus the Philippines, the most ever by an Indian in an international competition.
In 1967, Ram received the Arjuna Award, one of the nation’s top athletic distinctions, for his high IQ and dead-on accuracy. In his village in Haryana, a monument honouring Ram was erected after his passing.
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Ajmer Singh Chopra
Chopra, one of the most outstanding Indian hoopsters, was the top player for India in our first (and only) Olympic basketball participation, which took place in Moscow in 1980. Despite the fact that India lost each of the seven games they took part in, Chopra stood out because he averaged a team-high 21.3 points per contest and 5.4 rebounds per game. He eventually finished as one of the competition’s top scores. He led the competition in scoring in the 1982 Asian Games two years later.
Chopra was the top pick in the country during the earlier “golden age” of basketball in the 1970s and 1980s because of his unstoppable scoring skills.
For Haryana, Rajasthan, and Railways, Chopra participated in 22 straight national championships, winning 8 gold medals. He was given the Arjuna Award in 1982.
Sozhasingarayer Robinson
A legend in Indian basketball, Robinson may not have received the recognition or attention he truly deserved while on the court. The 6-8 forward, though, was a player who opened up new horizons for India’s sport and was pound for pound one of the finest Indians to ever play the game.
Robinson was a renowned athlete and one of the first Indian athletes to play professionally abroad. He was born in Puducherry, raised in Gujarat, and finally shone for Tamil Nadu. After dominating at the state and national levels, he rose to prominence after helping India shock South Korea in the 2004 FIBA Asia Stancovic Cup by scoring an astounding 36 points.
Early in the 2000s, Robinson was in and out of the national team. His performances were so good that he was given contracts to play with Negar Sang Sharekord and Farsh Mashad in Iran.
In addition to his responsibilities for the Tennessee state team, Robinson also played domestically for IOB (Chennai) and then for the Indian Army. He was a daring forward with the ability to go on rapid shooting runs, attack from the outside, and finish in the paint. However, a contentious ban he received in Tennessee in 2006 cut short his peak.
Amjyot Singh Gill
Gill, a 6-foot-8 big from Chandigarh, may just be 27 years old, but he has already made a name for himself among the game’s legends. He made his senior debut in 2011 at the age of 18, and since then has played a key role for the Indian national team. He led India in scoring at the 2014 FIBA Asia Cup in Wuhan when India defeated China for the first time in the history of its national basketball team. For most of this decade, he has regularly been India’s most valuable player in FIBA Asia competitions and qualifiers.
The reason Gill will likely be remembered the most, though, is for having led the charge of Indian athletes looking for and securing professional chances abroad. The first Indians to participate in the BJ Summer League in Japan and the Japanese D-League in 2015–16 were Gill and Amritpal Singh of Team India. The major break came in 2017, when Gill was selected by the OKC Blue to play in the NBA G-League, becoming just the second Indian (after Satnam; more on this later).
Amjyot has played for the Blue and the Wisconsin Herd, and to date, he is the only Indian at this high level to have played the most minutes (8.7 mpg) and averaged the greatest scoring averages (2.4 ppg). His 3×3 version of the game, overseas circuits with the Japanese team Hamamatsu, and again in India in the 3BL have seen some of his most prosperous stints.
As the game has changed, Gill, who began his career as an aggressive power forward, has transformed into a “stretch four,” capable of making dead-on shots from outside the arc. Unfortunately, Gill has been involved in conflict and controversy with the Basketball Federation of India in recent years. A once-promising career has been hampered by bans and accusations of misconduct, but Gill is still just 27 and might make a return in the second half.
Satnam Singh
Singh is the youngest of the prospective “G.O.A.T.s” and is arguably the most well-known Indian basketball player in history. Many of us are already familiar with his One In A Billion narrative, which includes how he was found in the small Punjabi town of Ballo Ke, how he shot up to seven feet as a teenager, how he was chosen to improve his abilities at the IMG Academy in Florida, and how he won juvenile competitions both domestically and internationally.
The first (and only) Indian to be selected in the NBA, Singh’s significant historical moment occurred in 2015. He was chosen 52nd overall by the Dallas Mavericks from IMG Academy. Singh played for the Texas Legends of the G-League for two seasons, averaging 1.6 points and 1.41 rebounds per game, while never making it beyond the Mavs’ Summer League roster. He has since played a season with the St. John’s Edge in Canada’s NBL, where he averaged 2.1 points per game and 1.2 rebounds per game while filling in as a backup.
Singh made his debut for the Indian senior squad in 2011, took a few years off to concentrate on his professional career abroad, and then returned to India in 2017 to take charge of the national team once more. He has consistently contributed to Team India in previous years. Singh, who is only 25 years old, has already made history because of his time spent playing in the NBA. He will try to make another leap to a higher level, similar to Gill above.
Women
Geethu Anna Rahul
In my opinion, there is just one candidate—Geethu Anna Rahul, previously Geethu Anna Jose—for the title of best Indian woman player. Rahul established himself as an unstoppable force in the Indian domestic arena over the course of the previous 20 years, played professionally abroad, had a taste of the WNBA, and eventually won the Arjuna Award in 2014.
Rahul, who was born in Kottayam, started her career with Kerala’s squad before moving on to Southern Railway in Tamil Nadu. As a senior player, she quickly outgrew all other players in her generation, growing to a height of 6-foot-2. She competed for Railways in eleven national championships, taking home ten gold medals.
Rahul was the first Indian woman to play professionally in Australia, representing the Ringwood Hawks from 2006 to 2008. This broke down boundaries for Indian women. She was chosen by the WNBL and earned the Big V division MVP award here. She created further history in 2011 when three WNBA clubs invited her to try out. She and Anitha Pauldurai, another member of the Railways squad, also played professionally in Thailand for a season.
Rahul was the only Indian player to routinely compete on a par with the greatest players on the continent while wearing national colours. She was the top scorer, rebounder, shot blocker, and MVP of the basketball competition at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Australia. Rahul was selected to lead India at the FIBA ABC, which was held in Chennai in 2009. She made the most of the support from her home court, helping India finish sixth and advance to Level 1 while finishing as the competition’s best scorer. Additionally, she assisted India in taking home the gold in the FIBA Asia 33 Basketball Championship in Qatar. She participated in the 2013 FIBA ABC, helping India to their best-ever fifth-place result.
Rahul returned to the sport earlier this year after a lengthy absence by temporarily competing professionally in Punjab’s 3BL division. Rahul is the ‘Jordan’ of Indian women’s basketball, towering head and shoulders above the others as the greatest ever. In contrast to the men’s game, where there may be some competition for the G.O.A.T. moniker.
These are the 6 best and greatest Indian basketball players of all time. Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
