Indian basketball just got a major boost with the launch of the Pro International Basketball League (INBL Pro) on Wednesday. Kicking off on January 15, the league will showcase six teams playing across five locations: Punjab, Gujarat, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Chennai, with the finals set to happen in Abu Dhabi in March.

"New Zealand has a population of five million, but we’re really strong in basketball. Partnering with a country that has 1.4 billion people, half of whom are under 25, is super exciting for us," said Justin Nelson, commissioner of the NZ NBL. "It's thrilling to be in a position where a small nation like ours can help a massive one like India."

While the NBA has seen players of Indian descent like Satnam Singh and Sim Bhullar, they haven't quite made the splash everyone hoped for. Because of this, young Indian basketball players haven't had many success stories to look up to.

"We want to turn these players into local heroes," said Parveen Batish, the CEO of InBL Pro. "Basketball is already woven into the culture, so we need to give people something to cheer for."

Basketball around the world is usually played on wooden courts or indoors, but in India, the situation is different. Due to limited facilities, players often find themselves shooting hoops on outdoor concrete surfaces.

The InBL auction is set for January 9, showcasing young talent from India and abroad, specifically players under 25. Each team will also have two seasoned international players over 25 to guide the younger ones. Indian talent will mainly be identified during the basketball Nationals happening from January 5-12 in Bhavnagar, Gujarat.

The league will feature six franchises located in Delhi, Punjab, Chennai, Gujarat, and Mumbai. The goal is to boost Indian representation in the Olympics over the next ten years and improve performance at the FIBA Asia Cup finals next year. Depending on how well the men's league does commercially and the evaluation of women's basketball talent, a decision on launching a women's InBL league will be made next year.

The Basketball Federation of India (BFI) and Captains Professional Basketball Pvt Ltd (CPBL) have teamed up, and as a result, the New Zealand Basketball League (NZ NBL) has granted a franchise to InBL called the Indian Panthers. This team will feature the best 10-12 Indian players from the league, and they'll have the chance to train in Auckland for five months.

Read Also: Indian basketball receives a significant lift with the introduction of a professional international league.

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