The Indian Basketball God

Houston

Texas

USA

“Well, sit down here,” said Lokesh, gesturing to a chair in the front row.

Neha sat down, nervously. It was her first time at an NBA game. And, she’d be watching one of her boyfriend’s biggest moments in his entire life.

This was it.

Lokesh’s first start of his career.

“NOW, PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER FOR YOUR STARTING FIVE, SPACE CITY!” yelled the announcer.

Lokesh grinned at Neha. “Enjoy the game. And watch those teammates of mine. They’re beasts!”

“GUARD! 5’5! FROM TOKYO, JAPAN! NUMBER 1! KOBAYASHI ICHIKAWA!”

Kobayashi beamed with pride as he heard his name. He jogged onto the court to loud cheers.

“They love him!” thought Neha.

“GUARD! 6’4! FROM SEATTLE! NUMBER 13! DANNY REYNOLDS!”

More cheers as Dan ran onto the court.

“So that’s the guy!” thought Neha. “That’s the veteran!”

“CENTER! 7’1! FROM NEW YORK! NUMBER 34! KEON JORDAN JR!”

Neha had a violent double-take.

“How tall is this guy?” she thought. “7’1? He’s huge! He’s so powerfully built too!”

Neha was sure this guy had a solid six-pack underneath his gigantic jersey.

“FORWARD! 6’11! FROM LOS ANGELES! NUMBER 3! ODAI BECKHAM JR!”

Another massive guy ran onto to the court.

“Wow, he’s ripped too!” mused Neha. “And he has such long legs! How?”

And at long last.

“AND NOW! FORWARD! 6’6! FROM BANGALORE, INDIA! NUMBER 64! LOKESH KUMAR!”

Neha had to cover her ears and squeal. That’s how loud the crowd cheered and hooted for Lokesh. Some of them were literally crying. They were so happy to have their franchise player back!

Lokesh ran a lap around the court, throwing his arms up to hype the crowd. They just cheered louder and louder.

Neha was now in a state of absolute disbelief.

“They worship him!”

To her, he seemed nothing like the tiny kid who had begged her to teach him the game six years ago.

*

Keon Jordan Jr won the tip-off easily. He could now jump higher than ever. Kobayashi Ichikawa recovered the tip and raced onto the opposition’s court. He seemed faster than usual. An Arlington defender tried guarding him. Kobayashi pivoted on one foot, forcing the defender to the left. He again pivoted back to the right, making his defender follow. Faster than the defender could think, he pivoted back to the left, dribbled into the three point line, and shot a mid-range jumper.

SWISH.

The crowd roared as Kobayashi and the team ran back to play defense.

“What incredible footwork, handles, and movement!” thought Lokesh. “He’s like a guard version of Keon!”

The Arlington team ran at Danny Reynolds. They knew he was a poor defender. This was their chance!

Or so they thought.

SWAT.

The opponent’s eyes widened in horror as Dan easily swatted the ball from him. Odai Beckham Jr recovered the ball and ran to the other end. The defenders swarmed the paint. They expected Odai to slash and dunk it.

Boy, were they wrong.

Odai stopped at the three point line. He was wide open. He raised his hands and shot a three-pointer.

SWISH.

The crowd roared in approval again as Odai cheered.

“When did he learn to shoot?” thought Lokesh.

On another offensive play, Keon got the ball. “He’s going to dunk!” thought the defender.

But, Keon started dribbling between his legs. He crossed his defender over violently. Then, he stepped back and shot a three pointer.

SPLASH.

By now, the crowd was going bonkers. They threw confetti around the place and stood on their seats.

“What’s with these big men shooting threes?” pondered Lokesh. “And his handles…they’re like Kobayashi’s!”

This was an all-new Houston Spacewalkers team. And the crowd could sense it.

Neha heard the whispers and emotions in the crowd. Whispers of a new nickname. The nickname of a player set to dominate the league.

An opponent shot a three, but suddenly, he was covered by a dark shadow. He was alarmed to see Lokesh hovering in the air like a drone. He caught the three point shot in his massive hands. He then ran to the other side. Nobody could catch up with him. Nobody could stop him.

Lokesh tossed the ball up and leapt into the air.

“Oh come on!” thought an opponent. “When is he coming down?”

Lokesh kept going up. He then did a 360° spin mid-air and blew a flying kiss to the fans, who screamed in approval. He proceeded to catch the ball, hover some more, and windmill-dunk it powerfully into the basket with a THUNK.

The ecstatic crowd was now beyond all reason. They danced around like they were possessed. Arlington’s coach called for a time out as Lokesh high-fived his teammates.

Neha was absolutely shocked.

She now understood what kind of monster she’d trained.

The crowd also felt it. Something otherworldly. Something absolutely incredible.

Their nickname for him was well coined.

The Indian Basketball God.