NBA legend Vlade Divac sees great potential for basketball in India, expressing hope that the sport will carve out its own space even as cricket remains the nation’s favorite pastime.
The 7-foot-1 former Sacramento Kings star participated in a dribbling and passing session with over 100 children from schools and academies in New Delhi at the American Centre. The event, called “Freedom 250 Slam Dunk Experience,” was organized by the U.S. Embassy and the Sacramento Kings.
Divac was visibly impressed by the young talent. “I have to tell you, I am surprised — the kids are pretty good,” he said. Standing beside a makeshift basketball hoop on the front lawn, he warmly encouraged each participant with high-fives and a smile, even lifting one child to help them score.
The 58-year-old, who won two Olympic silver medals and two FIBA World Championship golds, praised the girls’ shooting skills. “I was very impressed with the girls. They were good at shooting the ball. It’s a big country with many kids. If they do the right things, India could become a powerhouse in the world,” Divac added.
Divac emphasized the NBA’s global reach and the possibility of seeing Indian players in the league. “The NBA is a global brand, and in the future, we can have NBA players from India,” he said.
India has had limited representation in the NBA. In 2015, Canada-born Sim Bhullar became the first player of Indian descent to sign with the league, joining the Sacramento Kings when Divac was the team’s Vice President of Basketball Operations. However, Bhullar saw little playing time and later moved to leagues in China and Taiwan. That same year, Satnam Singh became the first Indian-born player to enter the NBA, signed by the Dallas Mavericks. He later left basketball to pursue professional wrestling in the U.S.
Despite these challenges, Divac remains hopeful. “India is a great big country with beautiful people. We would love to help develop kids for basketball. I know they love different sports; number one is obviously cricket, and they should always love it,” he said, mistakenly referring to cricket as the national sport, a status it does not officially hold.
Divac’s connection to India stems partly from a 2018 exhibition match in Mumbai with the Kings, an effort driven by team owner Vivek Ranadive, who is originally from Mumbai. Ranadive is the founder of TIBCO and Teknekron.
As the first European player to create a major impact in the NBA after being drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1989, Divac believes in sport’s power to transform lives. He later served as head of the Serbian Olympic Committee from 2009 to 2017. “I was born in Yugoslavia, today’s Serbia. When I was 21, I moved to the U.S. to play basketball. Now more than 30% of NBA players are international,” he said.
“Basketball brings people together. I remember during the conflict in my country, the NBA created ‘Basketball Without Borders,’ which brought kids together. That’s what it’s all about — bringing kids together.”