Former Los Angeles Laker Ike Nwankwo brings hoops to Bangkok

Show up in your average Bangkok community with a basketball and it won’t be long before residents put it on the ground and start kicking it back and forth.

Such is the nature of sport in Thailand, where even a distant relative of volleyball, sepak takraw, is played primarily with the feet.

So how do you get people in a football-crazy nation enthusiastic about basketball?

This is the challenge facing Ike Nwankwo, a former National Basketball Association (NBA) player who's been spreading his passion for the sport in Bangkok through his Top Flight basketball school and new men's league.

We sat down with the 37-year-old, two-meter former center to find out how his love for the game brought him to Bangkok.

CNNGo: You played on several NBA teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers. What was your most memorable professional experience?

Ike Nwankwo: Playing against my childhood idol. Pre-season, my rookie year, I was with the Dallas Mavericks, where the coaches spent a lot of time preparing me to see some action against Utah's Karl Malone in an upcoming game.

When that night finally came, the coaches didn't put me in the game. I was pretty disappointed, so in the following game I was sort of shocked to hear my name called. They wanted me to help defend Hall-of-Famer Hakeem Olajuwon, my favorite player when I was growing up.

When I came on the court he saw my last name was also Nigerian and goes, "Welcome to the league young fellah."

That moment was my most memorable experience on the court. If I never played again, I would have been satisfied.

CNNGo: What brought you here?

Ike: I was on a touring team in China when a friend who was teacher in Bangkok suggested that kids in Thailand would love to hear my story.

I came to Bangkok to speak to students at my friend's basketball camp and I fell in love with the country. Participating in the camp showed me how much raw talent was here and I wanted to be someone who brought those fundamental skills to players here.

Fortunately, my arrival coincided with the beginning of the Asean Basketball League and I stayed and played with the Thailand Tigers in the inaugural league while I set up my coaching program.

CNNGo: How is the coaching you're doing related to the buzz we're hearing about the new men's league you've started?

Ike: Well similarly, I found that there's plenty of basketball fans here, but there wasn't a place where you could play a well structured games with referees, score clocks and a tournament.

Why not start a league where the average guy could come play on the weekends and feel like part of a team?

So that's exactly what we're doing and hoping it eventually has a few fantasy aspects to it, where people can get online and track players or teams.

CNNGo: What were the biggest challenges you faced when setting up your Top Flight league?

Ike: The biggest challenge was to get people to commit to what I envisioned. You can play at the park for free, so why pay to join us?

So I've been convincing guys they were getting much more from our league through the professional style of play, tailored uniforms and what we're planning to do to create a sense of community online too.

Overall, it's about raising the profile of basketball in Thailand, starting with Bangkok.

CNNGo: What can people who come to watch the games expect? Will we see any dunking?

Ike: You'll see a lot of dunking. I've been so surprised and encouraged by the high level of basketball players.

These guys are teaching and working everyday jobs, but bring so much energy to the court. So when people come to watch they can expect some entertaining basketball.

We're also in an amazing facility at the New International School (NIST) which gives you the dynamic of watching a professional league.

CNNGo: What has been the response from female basketball players?

Ike: The female players have been the most enthusiastic and excited to come on the court. The girls in my coaching program have been the most dedicated and eager to learn.

So many of them have aspirations to go further or get to the United States and play at higher levels.

The boys tend to want to play three or four different sports without a focus on one sport like the girls.

CNNGo: Is there enough interest here to support a women's league?

Ike: Absolutely, I get calls every day for women who want to know why I haven't started it yet. That's something we'll definitely look into once we launch this first league.

CNNGo: What's up next for you and Top Flight?

Ike: We're going on a big trip to UCLA in Los Angeles for basketball camps. That's another huge step -- to take kids to one of the meccas of basketball and to further share my passion.

We also want to do more to promote basketball in all of Thailand and I'm hoping to bring some kids from different provinces over to our league and expose them to the sport.

Ike's tournament-style league recently entered the playoff season. Games are played on Sundays at the New International School of Bangkok (NIST) on Sukhumvit 15, starting at 5:30 p.m. For more info, visit TopFlightBangkok.com.