Former India women’s basketball captain and Olympian Jennifer Paes, also the mother of tennis legend Leander Paes, passed away on Sunday at the age of 72 after a prolonged battle with cancer. She was widely regarded as one of the pioneering figures in Indian women’s basketball and remained associated with a distinguished sporting legacy that spanned generations.

A family source confirmed that she had been undergoing treatment for a terminal illness. “She was a terminally ill cancer patient and passed away on Sunday. The funeral service was held today at St Thomas Church in Kolkata,” the source said, noting that the final rites were conducted in the city.

Born Jennifer Dutton, she came from a notable cultural lineage and was the great-great-granddaughter of renowned Bengali poet and playwright Michael Madhusudan Dutt. Her background combined both literary heritage and sporting excellence, which later reflected in her own achievements on the basketball court.

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Jennifer Paes represented India in basketball at the 1972 Munich Olympics and went on to captain the national women’s team. Her leadership during a formative period for Indian women’s basketball helped establish her as one of the sport’s early prominent figures in the country.

She was part of a highly accomplished sporting family. Her husband, Dr. Vece Paes, was a member of the Indian hockey team that won the bronze medal at the 1972 Munich Olympics. He passed away in August 2025. Their son, Leander Paes, went on to become one of India’s most successful tennis players, winning a bronze medal in men’s singles at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and securing 18 Grand Slam titles across his career. Jennifer Paes is remembered for her contribution to Indian basketball and for being part of a family that has left a lasting imprint on Indian sport across multiple disciplines.

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