The 19 year old Satnam Singh Bhamara, who hails from a remote village in Punjab became the first Indian basketball player to be drafted in the National Basketball Association (NBA) after being picked by Dallas Mavericks.
The 7 feet 2 inch tall Satnam Singh was selected amongst the 60 young men who will play basketball in the NBA next season. Gursimran “Sim” Bhullar was the first player of Indian origin to play in the NBA when he turned out for the Kings in three games in April.
Since their inaugural 1980-81 season, The Dallas Mavericks have won three division titles (1987, 2007, 2010), two conference championships (2006, 2011), and one NBA Championship (2011).
Satnam Singh said his entry would open the doors for more Indians to play basketball at the highest level in America. Having represented the national team, Satnam moved to Florida for training before making his presence felt in the NBA circuit. The 19-year-old believes that many hoopsters can take a leaf out of his book to dream big.
“The feeling is of course unreal but it has happened and I feel that my entry will certainly open the doors for many aspiring basketballers in India to dream big,” said an elated Satnam. “At least there is somebody with whom the youngsters back home can identify, somebody who is playing in the NBA. Now a road has opened up for them from which they can come up. The game will certainly grow in India in the coming years. You see the popularity of cricket now but in future basketball will also be popular back home,” he added.
Hailing from a small village called ‘Ballo Ke’ near Ludhiana, the 7 feet 2 inches player has made it to the home of basketball in the world and Satnam admitted that there was lot of anxiety before the result of the draft came in. Satnam was picked in the 52nd draft and second list of the NBA.
“Forget about sleep, I haven’t even eaten anything because of the anxiety. There were no nerves as such but just that feeling that I should make it into the draft. I was certainly hopeful after coming this far but there is always a big if. But by the grace of God I have realised my dream,” he said with a big laugh.
Coming from a farmer’s family, Satnam came to the US in September 2010 as part of a scholarship program between IMG and Reliance. The 110 kg player thanked his family and his first guide for making his dream a reality.
