Slumdog Millionaire was the only impression I had of India: Brian Shaw

He’s a three-time champion with Los Angeles Lakers and has played for seven different clubs in the National Basketball Association (NBA). One who shared the changing room with legends such as Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant and played against the great Michael Jordan, Oakland-born Brian Shaw’s career has been nothing short of a great narrative. Shaw, who was in the city for a basketball clinic believes India has the capability to feature productive players who have a shot at making it to the NBA.

In a tête-a-tête with this correspondent, Shaw talks about how he found refuge in basketball during a personal crisis, growing up with the stars of the game, discovering India outside Slumdog Millionaire and more. Excerpts from the interview:

What are your thoughts on the current basketball scene in India And what can be done to improve it Basketball in India is at a very nascent stage but the outlook is bright. As long as there is a continued exposure and more opportunities created for the kids to embrace the game on the grassroots level, it can grow and be a part of this culture. Do you think India has what it takes to produce more Satnam Singhs and Sim Bhullars to feature in the NBA Yeah, I don’t see why not. I think every country that has players who overcame all obstacles to play in the NBA had to go through the same steps that India is trying to go through now. India is just getting a later start. Countries in Europe, Asia and Africa had to take baby steps to nurture and develop the game — for India it is not going to be any different. More participation from kids will lead to more love for the game and that will speed up the process. Before long you’ll have some productive players that have a shot at making it to the NBA. Is this your first time to India How is the experience It has been good. I haven’t really had a chance to do much outside of our activities in the camps and clinics with the kids. It’s very humbling to be here. You see areas where people are very wealthy and then areas where people are very poor. That’s not different from anywhere else in the world. But it’s an eye-opener at the same time, when you see it in person. For somebody like me, who hasn’t been here before, Slumdog Millionaire was the only impression that I had of India. But there’s so much character, history and culture here. I’m happy to come and witness it for myself. There’s another Brian Shaw in the US who is called the strongman. Have you ever been taken for your namesake Not really (laughs). He’s a big white guy and I’m a tall black guy. We have the same name and if you Google Brian Shaw, both of us will come up — it will be Brian Shaw (strongman) or basketball. I have had people come up to me and say, ‘You don’t look like you’re the strongest man in the world.’(Laughs).’ You grew up with stars like Antonio Davis, Jason Kidd, Gary Payton and Demetrius ‘Hook’ Mitchell. Could you tell us a bit about those days It’s interesting because we grew up together and had aspirations of making it to the NBA. From elementary junior high school to high school to college and through the NBA — we had our own journeys. When you come from a small place and make it to the pinnacle, it makes you feel good about where you come from and your upbringing. And that applies to all of us.

How did the game help you tide over hard times when your family met with a near fatal accident At the time when I was playing for Miami Heat, the organisation flew the entire team out for the funeral and gave me great support. Basketball was a refuge for me those days, to take my mind off what had happened. It is something that I have always been able to fall back on in anytime, to just take me away. You’ve shared the dressing room with legends like Kobe Bryant and Shaq at the Lakers. Any amusing anecdotes you’d like to share I miss the camaraderie of the guys off the court — riding in the bus or flying in a plane, playing cards or sharing a few drinks, just laughing and chatting, pulling each other’s legs. And it was always competitive. If one guy got this car, the next guy would want to get a car better than that. A lot of stuff that we did was really silly. We were young men having fun. We actually spent more time with each other than we did with our families. Now our kids also have been able to grow up together. It’s all been nice. You’ve played against Michael Jordan. How would you compare the playing styles of Jordan and Bryant They were two fierce competitors and both had something special that nobody else has. I used to love their killer instinct. I knew Michael Jordan as the best player to play in the NBA and Kobe is right underneath that. It’s because both of them have that killer instinct that no one does. During your stint as coach of Denver Nuggets you also adopted a very unique technique of rapping. How did you go about it and how did it help you and your team I did it one time. It was a game where our team was just flat. I was trying to connect with them in any way I could. Most of them listened to rap music. During one particular game, I just erased everything on the board and I rapped the whole pre-game talk. They got excited and fired up for it. I got a lot of flak for it as well but I was just trying to try something new to get the most out of them and make them play. With the US Presidential elections due in a couple of months, who do you think will be the next White House resident Because I have been travelling so much, I haven’t been on top of what’s going on. Last night when I got here to the hotel I saw Donald Trump talking. I personally and probably would lean in the direction of Hillary Clinton because her husband has been President before. Donald Trump says crazy stuff. Can NBA have an All-Star game in India after it moved out from the US to Canada I don’t think it will come here. NBA needs more players and a team from India.