Satnam Singh Bhamara is fighting for his spot in the NBA and just finished a stint with the Dallas Mavericks on their Summer League Roster.
Standing at 7 feet and 2 inches, 21-year-old Bhamara was selected by the Mavericks as the 52nd pick in 2015 NBA Draft. He is the first Indian-born player to be drafted in the NBA and is said to be the face of Indian basketball.
Bhamara also played a couple games with the Texas Legends, the Mavericks’ D-League affiliate. He averaged at 5.4 minutes.
After playing for two years in the D-League and Summer League, Bhamara is waiting to play his first NBA game. Although he has stressed over wanting more minutes on the court in the past, Bhamara has learned the importance of observing and learning.
“I was stressing my mind,” Bhamara told ESPN. “Always thinking, ‘I need time. I need time.’ Whereas now, nothing is happening. If I waste my time like that, I get too much pressure on my mind. I lost everything.”
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In a game against Phoenix on July 9th, Bhamara helped close out a win for the Maverick’s in the final two minutes of the game. Dallas won 88-77.
Good to see Satnam Singh playing in the summer league game today. #Trendsetter
— Pavi Singh (@ppandher1) July 5, 2017
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Satnam Singh just dunked off a pass from Ding Yanyuhang. Mavericks getting very diverse here in Summer League.
— All Things Mavs (@All_Things_Mavs) July 5, 2017
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Although the road hasn’t been easy for Bhamara, he has come a long way. Bhamara was born in a small village in the state of Punjab and would’ve been a farmer if his father had not sent him to a nearby city to play basketball.
At 14, he trained to play basketball and also learned English. He plays to represent his homeland and kids that dream to play in the NBA.
I will never forget my roots! #culture pic.twitter.com/8KtEWk1Boz
— Satnam Singh Bhamara (@hellosatnam) July 19, 2017
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“In the last three years when I was drafted to Dallas, I’ve never been back home,” he said. “Becoming the first Indian-born player who gets drafted, other kids they can see we have a great opportunity, we can go play in the NBA.”
His journey to being drafted in the NBA was documented in a Netflix documentary titled One in a Billion.
From July 21st to July 22nd, Bhamara will be helping out at a free basketball clinic for youth at Mount Pleasant Community Centre in Dallas according to CI News. He will keep working hard in hopes that he will earn a spot in the NBA.
You gotta work hard! #determination pic.twitter.com/IMmWPiO0yh
— Satnam Singh Bhamara (@hellosatnam) July 21, 2017
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