New Delhi, July 25 (IANS) Dipesh Mistry represented India at the very highest of levels when he undertook the responsibility of becoming the head coach for the Sacramento Kings in the 2025 NBA Summer League, where the team reached the finals.

Having served as Head Video Coordinator/Player Development Coach in three seasons with the Kings, Mistry will be a part of Doug Christie’s coaching staff in the 2025/26 season, where he will serve as an assistant coach/player developer.

In an exclusive conversation with IANS, Mistry reflected on the historic feat, his connection with India and what he felt upon achieving his lifelong dream.

“When I graduated college, I took a one-way flight to Hong Kong, and I was backpacking around the world. And one of the countries that I did on the way was India because I wanted to go back home to see where my parents were from, where my grandparents were from, how they lived.

“I went to Mumbai and took a train all the way to Navsari, Gujarat. And I stayed there for two, three weeks and just kind of learned about my family there. And yeah, that’s in me and it stuck with me.

“ I don’t speak a lot of Gujarati, just a little bit, but I can understand it. And, you know, it’s a huge honor to be the first to do it, just because when growing up, I always looked up to see who looks like me doing this type of job,” Mistry told IANS.

He went on to name Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra as someone he can relate to given his Filipino-American roots. Mistry also added being someone who Indians can look up to is a great honour and privilege.

“The closest one is actually Erik Spoelstra, you know, just in terms of different ethnicity, but, like, working his way up through the video room and getting to the top. Just having someone that looks like you also helps you understand that, hey, maybe it is possible that you can do it. And so I know there’s a lot of Indian coaches right now in the NBA or in colleges, and they’re probably looking for someone to say, hey, I could be that and it’s a great honor and privilege to be the first,” he added.

Prior to the Kings, he spent five seasons with the Atlanta Hawks, beginning as the team’s head video coordinator (2018-2019) and rising to a coaching assistant and special assistant to the head coach (2021-23). He began his career in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns during the 2017-18 season. A native of Canada, Mistry was the video coordinator for Canada’s Senior Men’s National Team from June 2017 to August 2018 and worked as the Senior Women’s National Team video coordinator from 2013 to 2016, participating in the Rio 2016 Olympics. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Ryerson University (now TMU).

For Mistry, the journey is all about the process. From having a wallpaper of the NBA on his laptop to manifesting his dream to waking up at 5:30 in the morning to get his process started, Mistry is truly living his dream a day at a time and hopes his journey takes him to the very top of the mountain – becoming an NBA head coach – but if not, he still won’t be deterred.

“It’s just a process. You get up every day at 5:30 in the morning just to start it. Everyone has a different process—it just has to be what works for them. Mine and Doug’s were kind of very similar. I just stick to the grind—getting scouting reports ready, watching film, breaking it down, writing notes, sharing them with coaches, and then going on the floor to work. I just keep grinding, keep my head down, and wherever the chips land, they land.

“In terms of goals, my goal is still to be an NBA head coach one day. It’s not going to happen anytime soon—I know that. But I’m a sponge. I’m willing to learn from all the coaches who have surrounded me and are currently surrounding me. If it happens, great. If it doesn’t, it’s okay. The process is what I enjoy the most. I’m just going through this journey,” he concluded.

–IANS

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