India has a weird relationship with basketball. No one really plays basketball, at least not at a competitive level. Most sports not named cricket receive little airtime or publicity. Yet, the NBA somehow has garnered a rabid following among youth in the middle class and above in large cities. Everyone and their appa was a Michael Jordan fan in the 90s and a Kobe Bryant or Lebron James fan these days, which reeks of bandwagonism, but I digress.

To capitalize on the bandwagon effect, NBA’s Basketball Without Borders initiative has launched an NBA India website complete with David Stern’s slimy mug. Apparently, no western market initiative in India (can’t say I blame them) is complete without a pitch by Bollywood stars as evidenced in the video below featuring an akward exchange between Kobe Bryant, Lara Dutta and Dino Morea.

Besides allowing the ability to watch games online, the India section also features analysis from famous Indian sportswriters/analysts like Ayaz Memon. Here’s a simple tip to David Stern: the NBA’s popularity in India will receive an automatic and exponential spike, the day players from India and/or of Indian origin line up against a Kobe or Lebron. Given the current state of basketball in India, the NBA would be wise to invest more in developmental leagues than in gimmicks like these.

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