An inside look at basketball in India

Journalist Karan Madhok gives a detailed rundown on hoops-related topics in India

By Ed Odeven

TOKYO (March 4, 2014) — It’s been well-documented that there are millions of basketball enthusiasts in China. Yao Ming’s NBA career raised basketball’s profile and popularity in China in profound ways.

There are, of course, hoop fanatics in India, the world’s other billion-plus population nation. Karan Madhok, whose hometown is Varanasi, India, is one of those fanatics. He’s also reported extensively on Indian basketball and the NBA for many years. In fact, he’s become a prolific basketball scribe. His published reporting and commentary can be found at NBA.com/India, SLAM Online, SLAM Magazine, SLAM China, SportsKeeda.com, Ekalavyas.com and also his own blog, Hoopistani.

Looking to gain some insight on the development of basketball in India, the challenges the Basketball Federation of India faces, plus core issues that have hampered progress, I sought out Madhok for…