Heading in the right direction: Brook Lopez impressed by the grassroots structure for Basketball in India

The NBA Junior Championships' qualifying rounds were held in India on May 2. Girls and boys of ages 13 and 14 from eight different cities were a part of this event. Delhi boys team and Bengaluru girls team won the top prize, turning huge deficits in the process. The two teams will now head to the U.S.A. to play in the junior championships' final round.

Los Angeles Lakers' Brook Lopez, who was the guest of honor at the event was clearly overjoyed with what he saw, remarking that there was great talent on display, "Honestly, the talent here caught me by surprise. It was my first time here and it was great to see how skilled the kids are. There are some great talented youngsters here and it's cool to see them compete against one another."

Although there is considerable talent in India, as Lopez noted, there is a clear lack of certain physical requirements which are deemed important in Basketball. The average height of Indian athletes tends to be lower than those of certain Basketball playing nations, a prospect which might seem intimidating to the young players.

The 2013 All-Star, however, played down the significance of physique in place of talent and team dynamics, "I don't think that the Indian kids should be intimidated when they go play abroad. As long as they continue to play their game, do what they do, and play with each other, they'll be able to match these sides."

The importance of a grassroots structure in creating such opportunities is paramount. A strong base combined with good training is the minimum requirement to push young athletes in the right direction. NBA and Reliance Foundation have been doing exactly the same in India, building that sort of structure and providing a great platform for the youngsters.

Lopez was impressed by efforts being put in to create that sort of platform, "I think the programme and the setup they have here will help Basketball grow in India. It will help these kids reach a different level in terms of training and performance. You got to start somewhere and there's a great foundation for that in India."

The California-born Centre also praised the NBA for providing a chance to around five million kids to play Basketball in India, "This system gives a chance to kids in India to pick up a new sport. It is absolutely amazing that this particular programme has reached five million kids. It allows them to try something new and see if they enjoy it. That's how I came across Basketball growing up and developed a passion for it."

Lopez also talked about his team, the Los Angeles Lakers, narrowly missing on a playoff spot and their prospects going forward, "I think if we hadn't faced the number of injuries we did in the normal season, we would've made the playoffs this year. I think the teams in a great shape heading into the next season. We have a lot of young players who contributed this year and gained a lot of experience. The future's definitely looking bright."

Speaking about the future of Lakers, Lopez commented on the performances of two of his teammates, Lonzo Ball and Isaiah Thomas. Regarding Lonzo Ball, Lopez said he believed Lonzo definitely made the difference when he was on the court, "I think Lonzo will continue to improve. He was running the show whenever he was on. When you look at his on-court performances this year, you'll see that the Lakers were a completely different team. I believe he makes everyone around him a better player when he's playing"

Isaiah Thomas joined the Lakers mid-season and Lopez agrees he has brought about a different dimension to the team, "It was great when we got IT because he did add that extra dimension to the team. We really got going around at that time and the team really gelled together."

A 'superteam' culture has crept into NBA in the recent years, with the likes of Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, and Golden State Warriors putting themselves a class above the rest. Lopez, however, believes that there's another way to create strong teams, "There's something to be said about building your team through the draft and other means as well, kinda like what the Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers have done and also Golden State in the past."

Last on the board was a discussion about the growth of NBA fan base in India and whether the country was ready to host an exhibition or a pre-season match. India is a huge market for the NBA and has a constantly growing fan base. The organization has also been building bridges in India, partnering with the Reliance Foundation to host training camps and junior championships.

Lopez said that this latest Basketball boom is good for India and will hopefully bring teams to the subcontinent, "NBA does a lot of global games. I've played in these games in China and Europe before and I would love to do the same in India as well. I would love, in the year following and the years following to be a part of some of these games in India."

Edited by Yash Matange