Gautam Kapur, Founder, Brown Ballers | Changing Perception Around Brown Athelets

In an exclusive interview with DissDash, founder of Brown Ballers, Gautam Kapur, spoke with host Monty Kataria about how they are creating opportunities for brown athletes around the world.

Basketball has always been an American sport, with the National Basketball Association (NBA) as its most prominent league. However, basketball has now become a global phenomenon, with international players making their mark in the NBA. Despite this, there is still a lack of representation for South Asian athletes. This is where Brown Ballers comes in, with their basketball team India Rising and their media platform that champions South Asian athletes.

Brown Ballers is a non-profit organization that aims to shatter stereotypes and disrupt the status quo. Their platform strives to build a community of Brown athletes through scholarships, networking, and charity. India Rising is a professional all-Indian basketball team composed of doctors, engineers, and professionals from the diaspora and Indian-born. Last year, the team competed in ESPN’s The Basketball Tournament x — a tournament featuring 64 teams in a single-elimination format, with a prize of $1 million.

They will be playing in two tournaments this year. The first is the Basketball World Cup, where they will compete with eight teams in a round-robin format to win a $20,000 prize. Once again, India Rising is the first and only all-India team to participate. The second tournament is their return to ESPN’s TBT. Check out the full interview right here!