To coach a team of 12-year-olds was not a difficult task for him, but at the same time he knew that this bunch of teens had to be guided with the language of love and care.
Vivek Ranadive was once asked to coach his daughter’s basketball team. To coach a team of 12-year-olds was not a difficult task for him, but at the same time he knew that this bunch of teens had to be guided with the language of love and care. Through his supervision, the team ended up at the national championships. This comes from a man, who was born in Mumbai and followed cricket.
But it was this initial phase that got him hooked to basketball, a sport he considered to be mindless. “I found it weird that one team would score and then immediately retreat and wait patiently for their opponents to come to their side,” said Ranadive.
Ironically, Ranadive is the first Indian to have bought a stake in the Golden State Warriors franchise, NBA team in November 2010.
“I am very much into sports, an avid NBA fan. There was an opportunity to be part of it a year ago and I got involved,” he said.
In fact, Ranadive has by no means forgotten his Indian roots and was recently credited with the NBA hosting the first Bollywood Night in its franchise history. “People loved it and enjoyed themselves. The show was completely sold out. We are hoping to organise such events more often,” he said.
For Ranadive, it has been a long journey. He came to America when he was 17 years’ old to pursue higher education. “It was a big learning experience. I tried to have a positive outlook towards life.”
Ranadive goes to almost all the games to motivate his team, “I like watching my team perform and at times I do give them a pat on their back for their performance. The team has not been very successful in recent history. But that should not dishearten them.” Ranadive applied his basic formula that is to think out of the box and try harder than anyone else. “The other team has five members and so do we, it’s an equal opportunity for both the sides,” he said.
A coach, an entrepreneur, Ranadive is also a writer and has written a couple of books in the past and is currently writing Two second advantage. He’s not just passionate about basketball but also cricket. “I am very happy that India are the world champions,” he smiles.
When asked whether he would be interested to have a stake in any or a new IPL team, Ranadive did not hesitate to answer and said that he would keep the option open. But at the same time, he would like to focus on the Golden State Warriors.
Ranadive hopes to promote basketball in India. “I think basketball
can be successful in India. It can be played indoors as well as outdoors. You don’t even require a big field to play basketball.”
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