NEW DELHI, May 21: Basketball is set for a facelift in cricket-crazy India with a professional league planned for later this year and a foreigner signed as the national coach.

The Basketball Federation of India is also close to completing a deal with the US National Basketball Association (NBA), according to federation secretary Harish Sharma.

“We have signed up Serbian Aleksandar Bucan as the national coach. We are also close to signing up a deal with the NBA,” Sharma said in an interview.

The NBA deal would allow Indian players, administrators and coaches to get expert training in the game.

“Aspiring basketball players of the country will train under top American coaches. Their coaches too will visit India to train our staff,” Sharma told the Times of India.—AFP