Satnam Singh Bhamara has earned the credit of becoming the first Indian in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was picked up by Dallas Mavericks for its second round for this year’s lottery draft. The youngster has entered into the top-level of American basketball. He thanked IMG-Reliance and his coaches for their undying support.
Bhamara’s journey
Bhamara comes from a village of Barnala district in Punjab named, BalloKe. He has created history and thus greatly promoted the game of basketball in India.
The scholarship program from IMG-Reliance let Bhamara go to The United States at the age of 19. The country is considered to be the home of basketball in the world. When he went there, five years back, he did not even know how to speak in English. But, now he is very much fluent in the language.
NBA conducted varied coaching camps in India since the last few years to explore the talents in the country. Bhamara was thus chosen for the IMG Academy in Florida after many tryouts and camps.The 7-feet-2 inch player is now selected for the 52nd draft and is the second Indian-origin player, after SimBhullar, a citizen of Canada, to be a part of the prestigious league of NBA.
PeopleBhamara thanked
Through the medium of Facebook, Bhamara thanked his coach, late Dr. Subramaniam who began coaching him when Bhamara was only 8-years old. He also thanked Mukesh Ambani, Nita Ambani and IMG–Reliance for the scholarship and giving the opportunity to attend IMG Academy. He also thanked Teja Singh Dhaliwal, R.S. Gill Harish Sharma, his parents and family. He further added, “To everyone at IMG Academy – thank you all so much. All the coaches, staff, trainers, teammates, and teachers who helped me – I could not be here without you.”
Road ahead for Bhamara
India has become a significant untapped market and a prime location of NBA’s expansion plans. From the last few years, NBA has started witnessing Indians. Vivek Ranadive became the owner of the Sacramento Kings following the feats of Bhullar and Bhamara.
Bhamara will now encourage professional basketball in the country once he becomes a star in NBA. Due to this, NBA and basketball both will become highly popular, here in India. He will act as a stimulant for not only the game of basketball in India, but also for NBA to make a revolutionary impact and development in the country.
Bhamara has developed technical skills. He plays as a Centre, a position that needs a lot of strength and great ball-handling because it is a focal point for both, offence and defense.
Bhamara will still require making improvements in his skills through training and NBA development league exposure. He is still a few years away from the NBA game and will play minor leagues to hone his talents. It may take longer than the fans’ anticipation, but the journey has already begun.
Summary
Satnam Singh Bhamara became the first Indian citizen to be chosen for NBA. He thanked his coaches, IMG-Reliance and Nita Ambani