Sadish Pradhan: “Basketball has always been the first love of my life”

Sadish Pradhan, the captain of the national basketball team started playing basketball from his early age of 14. And since then basketball has become the only thing that he could ever think of.

His life revolved around basketball, used to play basketball on any court that he could. His focus was on nothing but the sport and eventually it became his life.

Starting his basketball journey from his school life, he got selected for the national team in 2009 when he was in college.

However, being a basketball player in Nepal is not an easy task.

Not all players can afford training and camps, so many players struggled to carry on due to financial problems.

So, when found out how someone was struggling, Pradhan always went after them to help and motivate them.

 Playing from the national team for about 12 years Pradhan with all his hard work and training with his team members, they were able to achieve the bronze medal in the South Asian game in 2019.

Pradhan says that his father was his biggest inspiration and now he hopes to be the same for his daughter.

Though Pradhan is a father and has a family to look after he still has not stopped playing basketball and keeps motivating young players all over Nepal.

Pradhan has played many nationals and international games and has he even got chances to play at other leagues in Bangladesh. Recently he went to play at Rajasthan basketball league in India.

Talking about the struggles of being a sportsman in Nepal, Pradhan says, “It’s not that government has not done anything but they have not done enough for the players to grow up and become a better player.”

Taking inspiration from his own journey, Pradhan shares “All the youngsters want to play basketball in Nepal you have to have self-confidence and self-motivation as there will be no one pushing you because like football and cricket, basketball has not reached to that level. But if you want to be a successful player, all you need to do is focus on playing and work hard. Do not let go of your dream and keep working on your game. There are chances that one can play in different leagues from other countries, not only in South Asia but also in Europe and America. I believe that anyone who gives their full potential and hard work in basketball in Nepal competes anywhere around this world.”