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NBA and Skechers spotlight Indian hoop dreams in Hoop Nation Season 2
MUMBAI: When basketball meets bars, stories soar beyond the court. The NBA, in collaboration with Skechers, has launched the second season of its lyrical docuseries Hoop Nation, a four-part chronicle of resilience, rhythm and real-life hoop dreams from the far corners of India. Streaming now on NBA India’s Youtube channel, Hoop Nation Season 2 weaves slam dunks with sick beats, profiling underrepresented basketball voices from Kashmir to Kerala, Kolkata to Mumbai all with an assist from India’s rising hip-hop stars. This season is presented by Skechers, whose performance-driven basketball shoes make a prominent on-court cameo.
The episodes spotlight:
. Ishrat Akhter, an international wheelchair basketball player from Baramulla, Kashmir
. Deepak P. Babu, a devoted fan and mentor from Alappuzha, Kerala
. The Lao family, a father-daughter duo championing basketball in Kolkata’s Indo-Chinese community
. Farooque Shaikh, a Nagpada-based coach shaping Mumbai’s next generation of ballers
And who’s soundtracking their journeys? Straight Outta Srinagar, ThirumaLi, EPR Iyer and QK hip-hop artists whose original verses narrate these ballers’ lives with lyrical punchlines and sonic swagger.
“Hoop Nation Season 2 embodies the spirit of basketball in India, a game that unites, inspires and drives change,” said NBA India Country HeadRajah Chaudhry. “Skechers shares our mission of taking the game deeper into India’s cultural and sporting fabric.”
Skechers CEO of South Asia Rahul Vira added, “This isn’t just about footwear; it’s about fuelling the fire in every Indian baller. With Hoop Nation and the ACG Jr. NBA program, we’re enabling both inspiration and access.”
The Skechers x NBA partnership also powered the ACG Jr. NBA India’s largest school basketball initiative. The 3v3 format tournament touched 4,000 plus players across 500 plus schools last year, with Skechers as official kit partner.
From court-side storytelling to grassroots development, the initiative underscores a first-of-its-kind collaboration in the region, one that puts culture, community and comfort at the centre of the game.
Whether you’re vibing to SOS’s Kashmiri verses or QK’s Mumbai flow, Hoop Nation 2 brings more than basketball, it brings belonging. And in the process, it reaffirms that sport, like music, hits different when it tells the stories that matter.
Catch the docuseries now on the NBA India Youtube channel and follow for more behind-the-scenes action and product drops. Because whether it’s a crossover or a cross-rhyme, India’s hoop dreams are dribbling in style.
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UDF poised to return to power in Kerala, says Manorama-CVoter survey
Massive opinion poll projects shift in Kerala politics ahead of 2026 Assembly elections.
MUMBAI: The winds of change appear to be blowing through Kerala’s political landscape and this time, they seem to favour the United Democratic Front. A comprehensive mega opinion survey conducted by Manorama News in partnership with CVoter projects a potential comeback for the UDF in the upcoming Kerala Legislative Assembly Elections 2026. The survey, covering all 140 constituencies with a massive sample size of nearly 90,000 respondents, predicts the UDF could win between 69 and 81 seats.
The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) is expected to secure 57 to 69 seats, a significant drop from the 99 seats it won in the 2021 elections. This would mean the LDF losing 30 to 42 of its sitting seats. Meanwhile, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which drew a blank in 2021, is projected to open its account with 1 to 5 seats.
Region-wise, the UDF is expected to make strong gains in Malabar, winning 25 to 34 out of 48 seats, and in Central Kerala, where it could bag 29 to 33 out of 53 seats. In South Kerala, the LDF is likely to retain an edge with 21 to 25 seats, while the UDF may improve to 12 to 16 seats. The NDA could pick up 1 to 3 seats in the southern region.
The survey was conducted between 14 and 26 March 2026, with additional tracker and snap polls carried out from December 2025 to March 2026. A total of 89,693 respondents participated, ensuring representation across all demographics and social segments.
Manorama News has a strong track record of accuracy, with its previous projections closely matching the actual results of the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections as well as the 2021 Kerala Assembly polls.
In Kerala’s famously fierce political battles, this survey suggests the pendulum may be swinging back. Whether the final verdict matches these numbers or throws up another surprise, one thing is clear, the 2026 Assembly elections are shaping up to be one of the most keenly watched contests in the state’s history.
