India men's national basketball team

India
	Error creating thumbnail: File missing
FIBA ranking	Template:FIBA World Rankings
Joined FIBA	1936
FIBA zone	FIBA Asia
National federation	Basketball Federation of India
Coach	Scott Flemming
Olympic Games
Appearances	1
Asia Cup
Appearances	27
South Asian Championship
Appearances	6
Medals	Error creating thumbnail: File missing (2002, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021)
Template:Basketball kit	Template:Basketball kit
Lusofonia Games
South Asian Games
South Asian Championship

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The India men's national basketball team represents India in international basketball. It is governed by the Basketball Federation of India.<ref name="fiba.com">[1] Archived 13 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine FIBA.com – National Federations & Leagues</ref>

A 1936 founding member of FIBA Asia,<ref>Jai Prakash, "Indian basketball team to feature in Dubai tournament" Archived 8 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Yahoo Cricket India, 3 June 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2015.</ref> India has one of Asia's longest basketball traditions. Throughout its history, Team India qualified for the FIBA Asia Championship 26 times and is placed in the top five in appearances in this tournament. Further, India's basketball team won four gold medals and one silver medal at the South Asian Games and is the most successful team in the South Asian region. India have also won the SABA Championship six times.<ref>Pakistan basketball team named for 11th South Asian Games Archived 23 March 2018 at the Wayback Machine, gz2010.cn, accessed 25 March 2012.</ref> Team India celebrated its victory at the 2014 Lusofonia Games after they finished the tournament with a 4–0 record as they beat 11–time African Champions Angola in the final.<ref>"Lusofonia Games '14: Indian men win historic gold; Women settle for bronze – Ekalavyas | Ekalavyas". Archived from the original on 6 April 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2015.</ref>

Its most famous moment came at the 2014 FIBA Asia Cup with the win against home favorites and most successful Asian team China by seven points.<ref name="fiba.com"/><ref>"FIBA LiveStats". www.fibalivestats.com. Archived from the original on 9 December 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.</ref> This win has been labelled as the biggest basketball win in the nation's history.<ref>"5th FIBA Asia Cup: India beats China for biggest basketball win in the nation's history – Ekalavyas | Ekalavyas". Archived from the original on 4 May 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2015.</ref>

History

India appeared at the international stage for the first time ever at the Asian Games in the 1951 edition and the Asian Championships at the 1965 Asian Basketball Championship where it started out as moderately competitive. India became a regular at the event and had their most successful tournament in 1975 when the team even reached the final four.<ref>"1975 Asian Championship for men". FIBA. Archived from the original on 24 December 2009. Retrieved 26 November 2018.</ref><ref>"Howard tour;NBA archived posts". NBA.com. Archived from the original on 9 May 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2013.</ref>

Plagued by a lack of popularity and support for basketball at home, at times, India faded into oblivion and only had a handful of successful performances.<ref>"Indian basketball team: A topsy-turvy trail". Retrieved 9 March 2023.</ref> Its most noteworthy tournament appearance was at the 1980 Summer Olympics when the team got its chance to represent Asia due to the cancellations of some teams who took part in the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics.<ref>"The first and last time India played basketball at the Olympics". 18 December 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2023.</ref> A few of the world's top basketball powers at that time (such as the United States and Canada) withdrew from the tournament. India finished 12th out of 12 in the Olympics after getting knocked out in the preliminary round by losing all three of their matches and then losing all five of their matches in the Classification round.<ref>"Basketball at 1980 Olympics: India's road to qualification, roster, results, top performers and more". 23 July 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2023.</ref>

While the results did not go India's way one game in particular caught the attention of everyone.<ref>"How did India play at the 1980 Summer Olympics?".</ref><ref>"Basketball at 1980 Olympics: India's road to qualification, roster, results, top performers and more".</ref> India played against the Australian Team, one of the world's top basketball teams. India, which was made up solely of voluntary basketball players competed against the elite team of Australia for almost the whole game until it finally ceded to the Boomers 75–93 after leading at halftime 41–37.<ref>[2] Archived 3 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine FIBA: 1980 Olympic Games : Tournament for Men, archives.fiba.com, accessed 17 October 2011.</ref>

Many Indian players also made headlines while in the Soviet Union as well. Ajmer Singh gained worldwide attention as he was amongst the top 10 shooters there and became the 10th best pivot player in the tournament there.<ref>"Indian basketball team at the 1980 Olympics". Retrieved 10 May 2021.</ref> The late 90s saw the emergence of Sozhasingarayer Robinson, the first Indian basketball player who gained considerable international attention. Robinson led India to a surprising victory over South Korea, one of Asia's top teams.<ref>http://www.taiwanhoops.com/2004/11/stankovic-cup-day-4-robinsons-36-leads.html Archived 3 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine Taiwan Hoops – Stankovic Cup Day 4 – Robinson's 36 leads India upset Korea, 81–76, taiwanhoops.com, written 24 November 2004, accessed 13 October 2011.</ref> In 2005, however, Robinson complained that the structure and support for basketball in India was still mediocre and government officials did not do enough to support the sport. As a protest, he retired from the national team.<ref>http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/04/stories/2007120411292200.htm Archived 25 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine The Hindu – Sport / Basketball : Robinson not to play for India, TN, Hindu.com, written 4 December 2007, accessed 15 October 2011.</ref>

At the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship India was coached by former Sacramento Kings head coach Kenny Natt.<ref>"I'm here to create a superstar, says India's NBA coach Kenny Natt". The Times of India. 14 June 2011. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 1 November 2017.</ref> In 2012, former NBA D-League and U.S. college coach, Scott Flemming, took over the team.<ref>"Scott Flemming named India's basketball coach".</ref> Under his supervision, the team won the South Asia Championship in 2014. India had two wins and finished 3 places higher (11th) in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship than in 2011.<ref>"26th FIBA Asia Championship : Schedule & Results". Archived from the original on 19 October 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2011.</ref> In 2014, the Young Cagers (as team India is often nicknamed) won the Lusofonia games with wins over Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, and Angola in the gold medal game. This was Team India's first title ever in a non-Asian competition. In the 2014 FIBA Asia Cup India pulled off the biggest win in their 80-year history by defeating China on their home court 65–58. The establishment of a professional league was a major step in continuing this recent success.<ref>"Indian National Basketball League from January 4". The Hindu. 18 November 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.</ref><ref>"BFI launch INBL (Indian National Basketball League), aim to take sport to higher standards across all formats". 19 November 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.</ref> India continued their dominance in South Asia by winning further South Asian Championships in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2021.<ref>"India Men's Basketball Team Win SABA Championship For Sixth Time". 19 November 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2023.</ref><ref>"Indian men's team wins South Asian Basketball Association C'ships for sixth time". 19 November 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2023.</ref><ref>"India crowned SABA Championship basketball winners for the sixth time". Retrieved 24 December 2023.</ref>

Gallery

<gallery widths="200px" heights="160px"> File:Kanteerava Indoor 40.JPG|The Kanteerava Indoor Stadium hosted the SABA Championship in 2015 and 2016. India won the gold medal on both occasions. Team India has frequently used the facility for training sessions<ref>Kushala, S. (22 May 2002). "Do we need one more stadium?". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 June 2020.</ref> File:Satnam Singh Bhamara.jpg|Satnam Singh Bhamara (left) with the Indian national team in 2013 File:Vishesh Bhriguvanshi.JPG|Vishesh Bhriguvanshi File:Anoop Mukkanniyil.jpeg|Anoop Mukkanniyil<ref>"Anoop MUKKANNIYI". Retrieved 24 December 2023.</ref> File:Akilan Pari.JPG|Akilan Pari File:Rikin Pethani.JPG|Rikin Pethani File:Trideep Rai.JPG|Trideep Rai<ref>"Trideep Rai". Retrieved 24 December 2023.</ref> File:Yadwinder Singh.JPG|Yadwinder Singh File:Riyaz Uddin.jpeg|Riyaz Uddin<ref>"Riyaz UDDIN". Retrieved 24 December 2023.</ref> </gallery>

Performance record

Olympics

Year	Host	Position	M	W	L	PF	PA	PD
1980	Template:Country data USSR Template:Preview warning Moscow, Soviet Union	12th	7	0	7	458	797	−339
Total		1/21	7	0	7	458	797	−339

Commonwealth Games

Year	Host	Position	M	L	PF	PA	PD
2006	Melbourne, Australia	8th	5	5	304	474	−170
2018	Gold Coast, Australia	8th	3	3	222	292	−70
Total		2/2	8	8	526	766	−240

Asian Games

Year	Host	Position	M	W	L	PF	PA	PD
1951	New Delhi, India	4th	4	1	3	184	266	−82
1970	Bangkok, Thailand	6th	8	2	6	478	560	−82
1982	New Delhi, India	8th	9	2	7	739	651	+88
2006	Doha, Qatar	17th	2	0	2	0	40	−40
2010	Guangzhou, China	11th	6	1	5	375	507	−132
2014	Incheon, South Korea	9th	5	2	3	353	344	+9
Total		6/19	34	8	26	2129	2368	−239

1970: JPN - IND (No Data)
1982: DPRK - IND (No Data)
2006: Withdraw

Asia Cup

Source:<ref>http://www.todor66.com/basketball/Asia/Zones.html</ref>

Year	Rank	Played	Won	Lost	PF	PA	PD
Error creating thumbnail: File missing 1960	Did not enter
1963	Did not enter
1965	7th	7	4	3	491	542	−51
1967	6th	9	5	4	709	797	−88
1969	5th	8	4	4	748	720	+28
Error creating thumbnail: File missing 1971	6th	8	3	5	563	632	−69
Error creating thumbnail: File missing 1973	6th	10	3	7	744	902	−158
1975	4th	8	5	3	754	728	+26
1977	7th	9	7	2	957	776	+181
Error creating thumbnail: File missing 1979	5th	7	3	4	539	604	−65
1981	5th	7	3	4	521	511	+10
Hong Kong 1983	6th	5	2	3	298	310	−12
1985	10th	6	3	3	585	459	+126
1987	6th	7	2	5	518	608	−90
1989	6th	6	2	4	472	520	−48
Error creating thumbnail: File missing 1991	13th	7	2	5	575	596	−21
1993	Did not enter
1995	13th	8	4	4	537	558	−21
1997	11th	6	3	3	433	409	+24
Error creating thumbnail: File missing 1999	Did not enter
2001	8th	6	1	5	406	508	−102
2003	8th	7	2	5	551	678	−127
2005	12th	7	3	4	545	578	−33
Error creating thumbnail: File missing 2007	15th	7	2	5	468	627	−159
2009	13th	5	2	3	371	415	−44
2011	14th	5	1	4	283	310	−27
Error creating thumbnail: File missing 2013	11th	8	2	6	532	641	−109
2015	8th	9	3	6	669	789	−120
2017	14th	3	0	3	186	249	−63
2022	16th	3	0	3	169	305	−136
2025	15th	3	0	3	212	275	−63
Total	27/31	181	71	110	13,836	15,047	−1,211

Asia Challenge

Year	Host	Position	M	W	L	PF	PA	PD
2004	Taipei, Taiwan	6th	5	3	2	389	405	−16
2008	Kuwait City, Kuwait	5th	4	0	4	217	291	−74
2012	Error creating thumbnail: File missing Tokyo, Japan	9th	4	0	4	294	370	−76
2014	Wuhan, China	7th	7	3	4	473	425	+48
2016	Error creating thumbnail: File missing Tehran, Iran	7th	8	4	4	585	670	−85
Total		5/6	28	10	18	1958	2161	−203

SABA Championship

Year	Host	Position	M	W	L	PF	PA	PD
2002	Guwahati, India	1st	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
2014	Error creating thumbnail: File missing Kathmandu, Nepal	1st	4	4	0	372	142	+230
2015	Bengaluru, India	1st	5	5	0	552	220	+332
2016	Bengaluru, India	1st	3	3	0	272	128	+144
2017	Male, Maldives	1st	4	4	0	404	218	+186
2021	Dhaka, Bangladesh	1st	3	3	0	308	120	+188
Total		6/8	19	19	0	1908	828	+1080

South Asian Games

<small>Source:</small><ref>"South Asian Games 2019: India wins gold in all formats and categories of basketball event".</ref>

Year	Host	Position	P	W	L	PF	PA	PD
1987	Kolkata, India	1st	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
1991	Error creating thumbnail: File missing Colombo, Sri Lanka	1st	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
1995	Chennai, India	1st	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
2010	Dhaka, Bangladesh	2nd	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
2019	Error creating thumbnail: File missing Kathmandu, Nepal	1st	4	4	0	471	233	+238

Lusofonia Games

Year	Host	Position	M	W	L	PF	PA	PD
2014	Goa, India	1st	4	4	0	304	245	+59
Total		1/3	4	4	0	304	245	+59

William Jones Cup

Year	Host	Rank	P	W	L	PF	PA	PD
2016	New Taipei, Taiwan	9th	8	1	7	536	638	−102
2017	Taipei, Taiwan	10th	9	0	9	628	885	−257
Total		2/44	17	1	16	1164	1523	−359

Honours

Intercontinental

Lusofonia Games
- Gold Medal: 2014<ref>"India win gold in basketball at Lusofonia Games". The Times of India. 28 January 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2023.</ref>

Continental

SABA Championship
- Gold Medal: 2002, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021
South Asian Games
- Gold Medal: 1987, 1991, 1995, 2019
- Error creating thumbnail: File missing Silver Medal: 2010<ref>"Afghan Sports Federation – 2010 South Asian Games in Dhaka, Bangladesh; BREAKING NEWS: Afghanistan National Basketball Team Wins Gold". AfghanSportsFederation.org. Archived from the original on 8 August 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2012.</ref>

Coaching history

Note: The following list may not be complete

Error creating thumbnail: File missing Lauro Mumar<ref>"Lauro Mumar".</ref>
Makolath Rajan<ref>"Former Indian basketball coach Rajan passes away". 10 October 2017.</ref>
Keshav Kumar Chansoria – 2001<ref>"INDIAN BASKET BALL TEAM COACH KESHAV KUMAR CHANSOR".</ref>
Jay Prakash Singh – 2004<ref>"New role for mentor".</ref>
Error creating thumbnail: File missing Zoran Lukić – 2006<ref>"Indian team coach Zoran Lukic".</ref><ref>""There is no money for sportsmen in Serbia... "".</ref>
Mahender Rathor – 2007<ref>"MAHENDAR RATHORE basketball profile".</ref>
Error creating thumbnail: File missing Aleksandar Bućan – 2007–2010<ref>"TRENER ALEKSANDAR BUĆAN U INDIJI". beobasket.net. Retrieved 20 December 2017.</ref>
Bill Harris – 2010–2011<ref>"Indian hoopster's can be world's best:William Bill Harris".</ref>
Kenny Natt – 2011–2012<ref>I'm here to create a superstar, says India's NBA coach Kenny Natt</ref>
Keshav Kumar Chansoria (interim) – 2012<ref>"INDIAN BASKET BALL TEAM COACH KESHAV KUMAR CHANSOR".</ref>
Scott Flemming – 2012–2015<ref>"India coach Flemming: Three or four years from now, we're going to be a team to be reckoned with".</ref>
Sat Prakash Yadav – 2015–2017<ref>"Mangaluru: Indian basketball team inspires kids at Mangala Stadium". Daijiworld Media. 19 September 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2015.</ref><ref>"'We hope to improve our ranking'". The Hindu. 19 September 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2015.</ref>
C. V. Sunny (interim) – 2017<ref>"Pradosh cracks maiden double century for Grand Slam The Indian Express 15 April 2017".</ref>
Bhaskar Sappaniambalam (interim) – 2017<ref>"Bhaskar to coach national basketball side".</ref><ref>"India aiming for SABA Championship 5-peat".</ref>
Phil Weber (interim) – 2017<ref>"From NBA to India: New basketball coach Phil Weber hopes to create a culture of success". 15 July 2017. Archived from the original on 25 August 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2018.</ref>
Error creating thumbnail: File missing Zoran Višić – 2017–2019<ref>"Basketball: Zoran Visic to coach Indian men". The Hindu. 10 November 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2018.</ref>
Error creating thumbnail: File missing Veselin Matić – 2019–2024<ref>"Building India's basketball future: Head coach Veselin Matic on investing in young talents".</ref>
Scott Flemming – 2024–present<ref>"Scott Flemming appointed as head coach of Indian Senior Men's Basketball team".</ref><ref>"Scott Flemming appointed head coach of India men's basketball team".</ref>

Results and fixtures

Win Loss Fixture

Team

2025 roster

Roster for the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup.<ref>"Team roster: India" (PDF). fiba.basketball. p. 4. Retrieved 4 August 2025.</ref>

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Past rosters

1980 Olympic Games: finished 12th among 12 teams<ref>"Former Indian basketball coach Rajan passes away". 10 October 2017.</ref><ref>"India Basketball at the 1980 Moscow Summer Games". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2018.</ref>

Baldev Singh, Ajmer Singh, Parvez Diniar, Dilip Gurumurthy, Harbhajan Singh, Jorawar Singh, Amarnath Nagarajan, Pramdiph Singh, Paramjit Singh, Radhey Shyam, Hanuman Singh, Tarlok Singh Sandhu (Coach:Makolath Rajan)

2001 Asian Championship: finished 8th among 14 teams<ref>"India 2001 Team".</ref>

Vinay Kumaryadan, J.Murli, B.J. Jadeja, Mohit Bhandari, S.Sridhar, Parmindar Singh, Ranjeet Singh, Austin Almeida, Sozhasingarayer Robinson, Suresh Ranot, M.S. Sabeer Ahamed, Des Raj (Coach: Keshav Kumar Chansoria)

2003 Asian Championship: finished 8th among 16 teams<ref>"India 2003 Squad".</ref>

Sambhaji Kadam, Gagnesh Kumar, Mihir Pandey, S. Gopinath, S.Sridhar, Parmindar Singh, Muraleekrishna Ravindran, Trideep Rai, Sozhasingarayer Robinson, Riyaz Uddin, Snehpal Singh, Des Raj

2005 Asian Championship: finished 12th among 16 teams<ref>"2005 India Roster".</ref>

Sambhaji Kadam, Shiv Kumar, Mihir Pandey, Anoop Mukkanniyil, Yadwinder Singh, Rajanna Sanjay Raj, Muraleekrishna Ravindran, Trideep Rai, Sozhasingarayer Robinson, Riyaz Uddin, Talwinderjit Singh, Jagdeep Singh (Coach: Jay Prakash Singh)

2007 Asian Championship: finished 15th among 16 teams<ref>"India 2007 Roster".</ref>

Sambhaji Kadam, Shiv Kumar, Ravikumar Krishnasamy, Anoop Mukkanniyil, Roshan Thankachan Padavetiyil, Rajanna Sanjay Raj, Muraleekrishna Ravindran, Trideep Rai, Dilawar Singh, Riyaz Uddin, Lokesh Yodav, Jagdeep Singh (Coach: Aleksandar Bucan)

2009 Asian Championship: finished 13th among 16 teams<ref>"India 2009 Roster".</ref>

Sambhaji Kadam, Talwinderjit Singh, Hareesh Koroth, Harpalsinh Vaghela, Sunil Kumar Rathee, Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, Prakash Mishra, Vineeth Revi Mathew, Abhilek Paul, Jayram Jat, Dinesh Comibatore, Jagdeep Singh (Coach: Aleksandar Bucan)

2011 Asian Championship: finished 14th among 16 teams<ref>"India Roster 2011".</ref>

2011 Asian Championship roster

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