A Facebook image of a 'giant reunion' that left basketball fans in awe

Former Indian international basketball player Subash Shenoy stunned his followers on Facebook by posting a picture on Sunday.

It was a waist-length photograph of him with a friend. The man he was holding close was at least half a foot taller than him.

In case you are wondering what is special about it, Subash Shenoy stands 6 feet 7 inches (202 cm) and he is one of Kerala's tallest basketball players ever.

"Subash doesn't look tall at all," replied someone under the post. "Are you on your knees?" asked another. Shenoy, in his peculiarly friendly manner, shared a hearty laugh with everyone.

But it was only after he had posted a few more pictures in the series and given a better caption did his followers realise the significance of the 'reunion'. "With India's tallest active basketballer during our playing days...now both sport a paunch," Shenoy, who is a Superintendent at Central Excise and Customs, wrote.

“How tall is he, Shenoy?” asked someone. “He is 7 ft 3 inches,” came the reply.

Interestingly, none of the pictures Shenoy had posted had captured the two in full length. "I think I managed to get one later," said Shenoy before sharing the same with this reporter (check the cover image).

For those unaware of the duo, Shenoy and Mobin (Mohammed Islahuddin) were Indian basketball stars of the late 1990s-early 2000s. They were part of the national team that triumphed in the South Asian Basketball Association tournament in 2001.

In their prime, they had raised eyebrows not just for being tall but being quite good with a basketball. Shenoy is regarded as one of the best Centers India has seen, who stood out for his ball handling skills.  

The two had met after a long time the other day at a Masters event in Thiruvananthapuram.

"Mobin is a Maharashtrian from Nanded who is with the South Central Railways. Back then he was with TISCO (Tata Iron and Steel Company Limited) and we played in plenty of tournaments in Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Mumbai and Kerala too.

"I remember people enquiring about scores from the outside because they couldn't get into the galleries that were jam-packed.

"Unfortunately, now there are no such tournaments. It would be nice if we had more tournaments now. But for that too happen, sponsors have to step in. Because more and more professional tournaments are essential for the development of our young players," said Shenoy, the yesteryear star.