THE STORY
Gautam Kapur is a 20-something, ex-NBA employee with a dream to put a spotlight on the brown athletic role models he never had growing up. Frustrated with the state of Indian basketball, Gautam sets out to unite and recruit the best Indian ballers from around the world onto one team to play at ESPN’s $1 million tournament, The Basketball Tournament (TBT), to show the world that brown men can jump.
“Hoop Like This” documents the unknown world of brown basketball. We follow the team’s journey from their historical debut in 2022 , and their crushing loss to the $1M defending champions, to their year-long grassroots scouting efforts across India, Taiwan, Canada, and the United States to rebuild the team. We end with the team's redemption in 2023 where an incredible first-round victory shocks the world and creates the biggest upset ever in the TBT’s decade-long history.
This is not your typical underdog story, this is the story of pioneers. It’s the story of athletes, coaches, sports professionals, and the families that support them (or don’t), who come together and bet on themselves, daring to believe beyond what’s been expected of them. They are heroes who pulled off historic firsts, laying the foundation and lessons for future athletes to succeed.
Through this film, we learn about the rich, decades-long culture of Indian basketball across not just South Asia, but also through the world's largest diaspora in the United States and Canada. We watch as these 12 athletes balance their dual lives as doctors, engineers, gas station owners, and real estate agents, seeing the impact of what this team means for not just their personal lives, but their professional careers as athletes.
Our story eradicates the stereotypes that hurt the AAPI community, repositions their masculinity and desirability through sport, and also shows the socioeconomic diversity of the world's largest population through this team of 12 players. Ultimately, this story proves that brown athletes are a force to be reckoned with, that they can hoop like this.
DONATE TO HELP FINISH THE FILM
“Hoop Like This” is a fiscally sponsored project of Film Independent, a 501(c)(3) non-profit independent media arts organization. Film Independent will receive grants for the charitable purposes of “Hoop Like This,” provide oversight to ensure that grant funds are used in accordance with grant agreements, and provide reports as required by the grantor. Contributions for the charitable purposes of “Hoop Like This” must be made payable to Film Independent and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
To bring this vision to life, we need supporters like you who understand that its mission is greater than any one person, team, or story.
OUR CORE TEAM
Shubhangi Shekhar
Shubhangi Shekhar
Shubhangi Shekhar
Director, Producer & EP
Gautam Kapur
Shubhangi Shekhar
Shubhangi Shekhar
Founder of Brown Ballers & India Rising
Neeraj Jain
Shubhangi Shekhar
BFD Productions
Director of Photography
BFD Productions
Shubhangi Shekhar
BFD Productions
Production Company