With WNBA in mind, Harsimran Kaur takes leap of faith to live basketball dream

Harsimran Kaur is set to become the first Indian to play in Europe’s top-tier basketball league.

“She’s going to play pro ball somewhere,” were the words of Scott Flemming, the current head coach of the Indian men’s basketball team and a quite popular name in Indian basketball.

Flemming, now in his second stint with the national side and a former coach with NBA India academy, was talking about a 6’4 towering basketball figure who is on a path to change how women’s basketball is perceived in India.

And so, like all trailblazers before her, Harsimran ‘Honey’ Kaur Dhami has taken the road less travelled—quietly carving a path of her own by signing for Greek basketball club Esperides Kallitheas, making her the first Indian to play professional basketball in Europe’s top-tier league.

Earlier this year, the 22-year-old became only the third Indian player to graduate from an NCAA Division 1 women’s basketball program following the footsteps of Sanjana Ramesh and Kavita Akula.

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The Girl from Kapurthala with a ball and a dream

At the start, though, this seemed far from achievable. Born to a sport-playing couple in Punjab’s Kapurthala, choosing a sport wasn’t as difficult as practising it for a young Honey.

“For the longest time, I would question myself, what am I doing? Like, there was no girls team [to play with], no role model that I could look up to,” she shares, reflecting on the early days of her journey back home.

The turning point came during her time at the NBA Academy program in Ludhiana.

At one of the camps, they were shown a presentation which crystallized her ambition. The presentation, as Honey recalled, was a map of the world that showed the percentage of players from each continent playing in the basketball NCAA Division I in United States.

“And then this one slide came up—it was a map of the world [which highlighted the percentage of players from each region]. For Asia, during that time (2018-19) it was something around 0.12%. For India, even lower, maybe 0.00-something, really low.”

Her performance on the court did the talking, shattering expectations with the same confidence and fearlessness she once brought to that NBA Academy Clinic in Ludhiana as a teenager. It didn’t go unnoticed and in December 2024, Harsimran was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week.

In that moment, a quiet but firm resolution formed in her mind. “I asked myself—can I be one of these? Can I become part of that percentage?”

Nascent yet courageous, Kaur’s vision was audacious, almost unthinkable but to her within reach.

That sense of possibility is echoed in the words of Scott Flemming, who first spotted her at a basketball clinic in Punjab. “The first time I saw her, she stood out because she was six-foot-one or two and aggressive,” said the national team head coach. “She was kind of raw at that time, but you could see the potential.”

However, turning potential into performance wasn’t easy—especially when the coaches bluntly gave her a reality check: “You’re good, but not great.”

For any athlete, those words can sting, but it can also spark a fire and willingness to prove everyone wrong. “I said, I want to be great. I don’t want to be this average player. And they said, if you want to be great, you’ve got to leave home,” she remembers.

Forging her identity on foreign soil

Kaur took the leap of faith with the blessing of her parents and went around the world to become great. Playing college basketball for the University of San Diego in the United States, nothing could’ve prepared her for what was to come.

“I was the only international athlete on the team and everyone else was American,” she shares. The feeling of being an outsider was overwhelming. “You always feel the odd one out…like you’re just not included.”

The pressure to prove herself extended beyond the court. It was connected to the weight of representation she carried on her shoulders.

“Whatever you do is going to dictate how Indian women’s basketball is,” she felt. “If I’m going to be bad, then that’s how they’re going to picture it.”

She tried to fit in initially, blend in and become like everybody else, “but soon realized, you ain’t gotta be one of them.” You can be yourself and let them “figure out how can they be [fit in] with you.”

This epiphany was liberating. She started to embrace her unique identity, her roots, and the journey that had brought her to this point. “Just being comfortable in my own skin and being myself, loving myself and knowing that what I bring is way different than what other people bring.”

Honey chose to transfer from San Diego to the University of Rhode Island in her final year, and this when her aspirations of going pro began taking shape.

“I feel like Rhode Island was where it all started for me [about thinking] to go pro,” she says.

Her performance on the court did the talking, shattering expectations with the same confidence and fearlessness she once brought to that NBA Academy Clinic in Ludhiana as a teenager. It didn’t go unnoticed and in December 2024, Harsimran was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week.

Signing with Greek club and FIBA Asia Cup

After graduating, Kaur had offers from Poland, Italy, Germany and France. However, she has chosen a team in Greece to start her professional journey.

“I felt like… that place was closest to my lifestyle. Athens is a great place…so why not?” she explained. “I just started my pro career in a city with a good lifestyle, you know? Great people and good basketball.”

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While she has played around the world, fans are yet to see Honey in an Indian jersey. There were expectations that she would be part of the team for the recent FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2025, where India finished fifth overall after losing in the quarter-finals.

However, fate had other plans. Kaur has just graduated from the University of Rhode Island and was in the midst of relocating back home. There was also a communication gap between her and the national team management. But all hope isn’t lost.

“I would do anything to put that jersey on again and represent [India], said Honey. “From now on, whenever there is international team competition, I’m definitely in…” Kaur reassured.

Also Read: Shotputter-turned-baller Arvinder Singh Kahlon out to become household name in Indian basketball

A change she wishes

Harsimran Kaur’s vision extends far beyond her own career. Having experienced first-hand the robust infrastructure and opportunities available abroad, she is now a powerful and articulate advocate for revolutionizing women’s basketball back home.

She speaks with passion about the need for systemic change, challenging the status quo and demanding better for the next generation.

“Stop… accepting the bare minimum,” she urges. “The bare minimum of resources.” Her most pointed critique is the lack of a professional league for women that mirrors the men’s INBL (Indian National Basketball League).

Harsimran “Honey” Kaur’s journey is a compelling narrative of breaking barriers. She is more than an athlete; a pioneer, role model, and a powerful voice for change. As she embarks on her professional career in Europe, she carries with her the hopes of a nation.

“Till this day, we don’t have a… INBL for, you know, women,” she laments.

“I just wish that there are people out there who really, really, really invested in women’s basketball in India, instead of just complaining that its soft or…that there’s no talent,” she says. “There is talent. but it needs backing.”

Honey hits home with her criticism, especially at a time when India might produce a WNBA star before an NBA star and when women’s basketball is gaining unprecedented popularity worldwide.

Her message to young female athletes in India is equally powerful: “Stop waiting on opportunities and go get them… If you feel like you deserve more, demand it, say it, speak about it, don’t be shy.”

It’s a call to empowerment, urging them to break out of the “box of like boundaries” that society often places on women.

WNBA aspirations and role models

The ultimate goal for Harsimran Kaur Dhami, the pinnacle she is striving for, is the WNBA. While she hasn’t set a rigid timeline, Honey believes it’s well within reach.

“I think in two years, I would say, maybe two, three years… I believe in the work that I put in… and I know what it takes.”

Her game is modeled after some of the WNBA’s greatest stars. Her all-time favourite is the legendary Candace Parker, a three-time WNBA champion and two-time MVP. “Just everything—her physique, her playing style, her aggressiveness, and the attitude she brings to the basketball court,” Kaur gushes.

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A post shared by Honey Kaur (@h.s.dhami23)

Currently, she looks up to Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson, a two-time champion and three-time WNBA MVP, for her all-around dominance.

She also admires the consistency of Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, a former Rookie of the Year and Olympic gold medalist.

These are the footsteps she hopes to follow, merging with her own unique, Indian-forged brand of basketball to the world’s biggest stage.

Harsimran “Honey” Kaur’s journey is a compelling narrative of breaking barriers. She is more than an athlete; a pioneer, role model, and a powerful voice for change. As she embarks on her professional career in Europe, she carries with her the hopes of a nation.

Her path, carved with grit and grace, is lighting the way for a future where an Indian girl dreaming of basketball glory is no longer an anomaly, but an expectation. The world is watching, and Honey is just getting started.

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