Satnam Singh Bhamara, a 19 year-old born in Punjab, made history today by becoming the first India-born person to be drafted by the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Satnam is a giant of a boy: he stands at 7’2” and weighs 131 kg. His physical presence on court has been much talked about in NBA circles. Satnam was the 52nd pick in this year’s NBA draft. He was picked by the Dallas Mavericks, a Texas-based professional basketball team.
Former Indian basketball coach Scott Fleming tweeted “This is something really positive for Indian Basketball during some tough times… really proud of you Satnam!”
Satnam’s hometown is Ballo Ke, a small village in Punjab. He was chosen in a scholarship program and reached the United States in 2010, from when he has continuously excelled. He has gone from not knowing English to speaking it comfortably. Satnam says his father, a wheat farmer – who is 7 feet tall himself – urged him to concentrate on the game rather than spend time in the fields.
Back in 2011, Satnam was the youngest player to represent India at the Asian Basketball Championship in China. He was only 16 then. The Logical Indian community congratulates Satnam on his historic victory, and hope he continues to make his country proud.
