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Satnam Singh becomes 1st Indian-born basketball player picked in NBA draft




By Laura Smith-Spark and Sara Sidner, CNN


Story highlights

Satnam Singh was selected by the Dallas Mavericks with the 52nd pick in the draft
The Indian-born 7 feet 2 inches sportsman has been playing in Florida
(CNN)Making it big in basketball had long been a dearly held dream for Satnam Singh.

Making it happen was another matter.

Growing up in a remote village in India's Punjab province, he was destined to become a farmer -- like his father and his father's father.

But that's the thing about dreams. With hard work -- and, in Satman's case, a ginormous frame -- they sometimes come true.

On Thursday, Singh became the first basketball player from India to be drafted by an NBA team.


The Dallas Mavericks selected the 7-foot-2-inch, 19-year-old with the 52nd pick in the draft.

He's not expected to make the team right away, but rather will put in time at the Development League level.


But his arrival is a big moment for India.

For the moment, Singh is little known in his homeland, where cricket is by far the biggest sport and few follow the American National Basketball Association.

But success in the United States could change that -- in the same way China's Yao Ming galvanized interest in basketball in his country.

That's certainly what the Mavs are counting on.

"We certainly created a legend," owner Mark Cuban said. "There's a billion new Mavs fans out there right now."


Spotting potential
The village of Billoke is a tiny one in the proud state of Punjab, home of turbaned Sikh men and Bhangra music.

Singh's father, Balbir Singh, works the flour mills and raises dairy cows, just like many of the men in the village of 3,000.

But one thing set Balbir Singh apart: In a land where the average man is 5 feet 4 inches, he towered over others by a full two feet.

It's a genetic trait that even Satnam Singh, even at a young age, was exhibiting.

An eagle-eyed sports enthusiast recognized the potential in his friend's 9 -year-old son, who was already 5 feet 9 inches by then.

"I can make out from his height that he could become a good player," Rajinder Singh told CNN in 2012. "I took him to the ground to practice. Day by day he excelled and touched greater heights."


Coming to America
Soon after, he arrived in the United States to train at a basketball academy. He was separated from his parents by more than 8,000 miles, connected to them only through Skype. He missed home, he said. And he missed the food.

But he had one dream, and knew that if he practiced hard and put his heart into it, it could be his.

"I wish to become the greatest player in the world," he told CNN. "I want to uphold the honor of India, the USA and of my coach and make basketball a prominent sport in India."

Three years later, he's made the draft -- and made history.

CNN's Brian Walker contributed to this report
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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satnam_Singh_Bhamara/


Satnam Singh Bhamara

Dallas Mavericks

Position Center
Personal information
Born 10 December 1995 (age 19)
Chawke, India
Nationality Indian
Listed height 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m)
Listed weight 290 lb (132 kg)
Career information
High school IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida)
NBA draft 2015 / Round: 2 / Pick: 52nd overall
Selected by the Dallas Mavericks
Stats at NBA.com
Satnam Singh Bhamara (born 10 December 1995) is an Indian basketball player who currently plays for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He formerly played for the IMG Academy graduate team during it's 2014–15 season. The 7'2" center has also played for the India national basketball team.

Singh hails from Ballo Ke, a village of about 800 in the Indian state of Punjab. He moved to the United States in September 2010 as part of a scholarship program between IMG Academy and Reliance, one of the dominant companies in India. During the 2014–15 season, he averaged 9.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in less than 20 minutes per game for IMG, the No. 2 ranked team in the country.[1]

In April 2015, Singh declared for the 2015 NBA draft after not receiving any academic scholarships to play in the NCAA.[2] Singh also marks the first time since the 2005 NBA draft that a player would declare to enter the draft without playing in college, overseas professionally, or in the NBA Development League as well. He then got drafted by the Dallas Mavericks, which currently makes him the last player to be drafted directly from high school, and the first since the league instituted age restrictions on players that someone from high school would be selected in the NBA draft.

With the 52nd pick of the 2015 NBA Draft, the Dallas Mavericks selected Singh, making him the first Indian born player to be drafted into the NBA.

Singh has represented the India national basketball team at the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship and the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship.[3]
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Happy for Satnam Singh and NBA.
Congrats!

Thanks Sassy for bringing this to the notice of all.
Honestly, I did not know about him.

And this is the case for so many Indian players who are not known to Indians, not to speak of being popular.

There had been many world champions, in other sports, who come to the notice of general public when they come on TV for some reality shows.

All the lime light, as you said, had been taken by Cricket.

This is also important that these world class players do not get enough facilities and remuneration.