"We will see really good things for Indian basketball," - Basketball star Inderbir Singh Gill on the potential of the sport in the country
Indian-origin basketball star Inderbir Singh Gill, also affectionately known as Indy, has had an incredibly successful career spanning across continents. He has two MVP titles in his cabinet (2010 Canadian Colleges, 2018 3BL Pro League) and was also player of the year in the Japanese Premier EXE League in 2016.
Gill also played a pivotal role when the Indian team achieved 2nd place in the FIBA World Tour, and the 36-year-old has been ranked 11 in the rankings as a 3x3 player in the USA. He is now all set to play for the Toronto Patriots.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Inderbir Singh Gill talks about the evolution of basketball in India, the potential of the sport and the changes required for its improvement in the country.
Q: What do you make of the evolution of basketball in India?
Inderbir Singh Gill: Basketball has come a long way in India. I've been coming to India since 2013, and I have seen a lot of growth in the sport, especially with the talent level. And as far as 5x5 basketball goes, it's still a little bit slow when the evolution is considered.
But as far as 3x3 basketball goes, I think the acceleration in 3x3 basketball in India has grown very rapidly. And you can see that there's a lot of interest and a lot of players, you know, enjoying the 3x3 format.
And, you know, India is also one of the first countries to have their first 3x3 FIBA-licensed league or FIBA-certified league. It's had a few seasons in India. So, I think 3x3 basketball has definitely taken a huge leap as far as, you know, the evolution of basketball in India.
And with companies like Krida, they're really helping in the growth of the game by allowing players to perform at a very high level and in very prestigious leagues. So as long as we have some great basketball fans and people understand the game and how beautiful this game is, I think basketball will keep getting better in India.
Q: What do you think can be done to improve the sporting infrastructure in India?
Inderbir Singh Gill: There's a lot of things that can be done to improve the sporting infrastructure in India because I do think there are plenty of resources and money in this country, but there's not that much interest in sports other than cricket.
And it has obviously come up a lot and improved a lot in the last, you know, 10, 15 years. But even then, I think we need to improve the infrastructure quite a bit because any time I come to India and you have to play on cement and, you know, just the facilities, your body takes a lot of, you know, pain, and it takes a lot of injuries.
So, in order to improve it, obviously, you got to invest some money in the game and some money in the buildings and facilities. You got to have a vision to see that basketball is one of the fastest, if not the fastest-growing sports, and especially 3x3 in the world right now.
So, there's a bright future for 3x3 basketball. And I think that is one way that we can improve the infrastructure in India and, with companies like World of Krida, understand how basketball is going to be the next biggest game in India. And you know, they have a clear advantage of being the first movers in this industry. So, we need more companies and people that have a vision similar to Krida that can, you know, create more opportunities for the players and opportunities for businesses, and obviously, you know, take India to the next level.
Q: What do you think is the future of 3x3, specifically in India? Can we see an Indian team go to the Olympics soon?
Inderbir Singh Gill: The future of 3x3 basketball in India is very bright because, as you know, if you look at the history, 5x5 basketball hasn't really had any achievements since maybe 2013–14 or maybe 15. But 3x3 basketball in this format has really picked up not only in India but in the rest of the world, and it has been an Olympic sport since 2020 in Tokyo. And now this year as well, it's going to be an Olympic sport in Paris.
And I think in India, it really suits the Indian players' games because it takes the politics, the coaching, the favoritism, whatever you want to call it, out of the game and allows the players to just play. And it really tells the players, you know, if they work hard, they can see the results, and if you work harder than other teams, then you will be successful.
So as long as we keep this game pure and we keep investing in this game of 3x3, like World of Krida has and is doing so far, I think we will see really good things for Indian basketball in 3x3, especially and not so much in 5x5. I don't really see 5-on-5 going anywhere in India.