NBA champion Ray Allen: Watching cricket match in India made me realise that fans make the game big

From watching a cricket match in a stadium to enjoying the taste of Indian cuisine to just driving around soaking in the vibe of the country, two-time NBA champion Ray Allen loved his time in the country. And he admits that there is still a lot to explore, which will definitely make him come back.

“There’s a lot to do and a lot to see. I was excited to be in India. I went to a cricket match in Mumbai too. It is my first time in the country. There is still so much that I want to do, so I have to come back,” says Allen, who visited Mumbai and Delhi during his trip to the country.

Opening up about his time in the country, the 47-year-old mentions, “I didn’t have any preconceived notions about India as to what it was going to be like. I just came with the mindset to explore. It is great when you get out of the cities, and just drive around and see how people live. That is something that I did and want to do in the future too”.

The prolific shooting guard also met Mumbai Indians players ahead of their IPL 2023 match against Gujarat Titans during his India tour.

For him, watching the match in a packed stadium was a reflection of how people in India love the sport of cricket.

“From young people to old people, everybody was into it. You could see how enthralled they were in the game. It was great to see people being excited to come to a game because it’s theirs. As much as the players are the heroes and people enjoy them, I didn’t get the sense that they were the idols or the sports figures. To me, it felt like the fans made the game. The fact that they show up shows it is their game… Watching the match in India made me realise that fans make the game big. We were driving through Mumbai, and saw hundreds of people out there playing cricket. Just working on the game trying to get better. It is a culture here”.

Talking about the thing he will take back, he says, “The sense of culture that exists. The pride that people have in India, where they come from. Indian people live through that every single day. You yearn for that for your own existence and for your own people. We don’t have that in American culture. We, historically, are so chopped up. In India, everybody has a sense of divinity and ancestral beginning that allows them to stay connected”.

Meanwhile, Allen also opened up about the future of basketball as a sport in India, saying, “It is about infrastructure”.

“Basketball is probably the simplest sport to play. You could play anywhere. When you drive in the US, you see basketball hoops in every yard, in the parks. You see them everywhere...That is probably something to think about going forward in India... Making the game available to young people. When they want to play, it’s there. Just like you go to the cricket fields and you see a bunch of people playing cricket,” he ends.

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