Akilan Pari

{{Short description|Indian basketball player (born 1989)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}}

{{Use Indian English|date=July 2018}}

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Akilan Pari

| image =Akilan Pari.JPG

| image_size =

| caption = Akilan Pari with Income Tax in 2015

| position = Point guard

| height_ft = 5

| height_in = 10

| weight_lb =

| team = Punjab Steelers

| league = UBA Pro Basketball League

| nationality = Indian

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1989|7|20}}

| birth_place = Chennai, Tamil Nadu

| high_school =

| college =

| draft_year = 2010

| career_start = 2010

| career_end =

| years1 = 2017–present

| team1 = Punjab Steelers

| highlights =

| medaltemplates =

}}

Akilan Pari (born 20 July 1989) is an Indian professional basketball player. He currently plays for the Punjab Steelers of India's UBA Pro Basketball League. [https://www.fiba.basketball/asia/challenge/2016/India#tab=roster India - FIBA Asia Challenge 2016], FIBA.com, accessed 2 April 2017.

He is a member of India's national basketball team since 2014. As of 2018, he serves as team captain{{cite web|title=India's Men's basketball roster announced for FIBA World Cup qualifying games next week|date=18 November 2017|url=http://hoopistani.blogspot.com/2017/11/indias-mens-basketball-roster-announced.html|accessdate=23 April 2018}} of India's national basketball team.[http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-sports/tn-basketball-squads-for-senior-nationals/article22439508.ece TN squads for senior National basketball named], The Hindu, 14 January 2018. Accessed 7 April 2018.[http://expressnews.asia/15th-ssn-trophy-championship-concluded-successfully/ 15th SSN Trophy Championship Concluded Successfully], Expressnews, 23 August 2017. Accessed 7 April 2018.

Pari already made a name for himself as a youth player. He captained Tamil Nadu's official state lineups for the u-13, u-16 and u-18 (junior) and senior men level.[http://ekalavyas.com/2014/10/05/akilan-pari-living-basketball-dreams/ AKILAN PARI – LIVING HIS BASKETBALL DREAMS], Gopalakrishnan R, ekalavyas.com, accessed 26 April 2017.

During the 2013 NBA All-Star Game, Akila Pari was selected to play at the Sprite Uncontainable Game, where he was coached by Omri Casspi and Serge Ibaka.[http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/the-sprite-uncontainable-game-meet-the-players-from-estonia-india-and-lithuania The Sprite Uncontainable Game: Meet the Players from Estonia, India and Lithuania], Colleen Oakley, coca-colacompany.com, 4 February 2013. Accessed 7 April 2018.

As of 2018, he has been labelled as one of India's best basketball players{{cite web|title=Punjab Suffer Second Successive Deteat|url=http://www.uniindia.com/punjab-suffer-their-second-successive-defeat/sports/news/578334.html|date=4 August 2016}} because of his passing and ball handling skills, and because of complicated engagement rules, missed a crucial playoff game against Lebanon, a game which India lost{{cite news|title=Lebanese hoopsters too good for India|url=https://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/lebanese-hoopsters-too-good-for-india/article22860050.ece|date=26 February 2018 | first=Shreedutta | last=Chidananda | newspaper=Hindu | accessdate=24 July 2018}} because of his absence.[https://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2018/feb/24/engagement-rules-akilan-pari-out-of-indias-basketball-world-cup-qualifier-1778484.html Engagement rules Akilan Pari out of India’s basketball World Cup qualifier], Ashim Sunam, The New INDIAN EXPRESS, 24 February 2018. Accessed 3 April 2018.