Satnam Singh Bhamara on Friday scripted history by becoming the first Indian basketball player to be drafted in the National Basketball Association (NBA) after being picked by Dallas Mavericks here.The 19-year-old, who hails from a remote village called ‘Ballo Ke’ near ludhiana in Punjab and stands 7 feet 2 inches tall, was the 52nd pick in the NBA Draft.
On cloud nine after achieving the feat, Punjab boy Satnam Singh said that his entry will open doors for more Indians to play basketball at the highest level in America.“The feeling is ofcourse unreal but it has happened and I feel that my entry will certainly open the doors for many aspiring basket ballers in India to dream big,” said an elated Satnam.
“Atleast now there is somebody whom the youngsters back home can identify with, 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 the future basketball will also be popular back home,” he added.
Satnam, who was selected amongst the 60 young men who will play basketball in the NBA next season, has been training in Florida for the last five years along with youths of 39 countries on an initiative of US-based IMG Reliance Academy.“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.
The 110 kg player thanked his family and his first guide for making his dream a reality. “I haven’t been able to call home but I will certainly get connected via skype. I can never forget about the prayers and sacrifices of of my mother, who is instrumental in me getting here.
“My sister also went to the guruduwara and prayed a lot for me. I can’t also thank enough Dr. Subramaniam, my first coach.”
looking up to Kobe Bryant as his favourite NBA star, Satnam also looks forward to rubbing shoulders with the best in the business, especially German veteran Dirk Nowitzki, who is part of the Dallas squad.
“My favourite NBA player is Kobe Bryant for sure. And I would love to play with the best of the best. It will definitely be a learning experience and I would certainly look to pick a few things from Dirk Nowitzki.”
Satnam has represented the India national basketball team at the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship and the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship.
In April 2015, Satnam had declared for the 2015 NBA draft after not receiving any academic scholarships to play in the NCAA.Satnam will follow the footsteps of Gursimran “Sim” Bhullar, who was the first player of Indian origin to play in the NBA when he turned out for the Kings in three games in April.