Mavs select Satnam Singh Bhamara with 52nd pick, 1st Indian-born player to be drafted
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The Dallas Mavericks selected Indian center Satnam Singh Bhamara with the No. 52 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft on Thursday night.
The NBA now has its first-ever Indian-born draft pick.
I was afraid he would never let go pic.twitter.com/qhqLB4tyGZ
— Eric Bossi (@ebosshoops) June 26, 2015
A lot of people were pretty happy for him.
@Adam_Jacobi I played him in HS lol I'm the short one pic.twitter.com/K5sgQbHfos
— Anthony Harp (@AnthonyHarp) June 26, 2015
Welcome to the @dallasmavs Satnam Singh, the first Indian Born Player to be drafted ! Represent big guy. Represent !
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) June 26, 2015
Bhamara, a 7-foot-2 19-year-old from Chawke, India, opted for the draft when he was unable to qualify for a scholarship, and while he's far from being NBA-ready, his size makes him an intriguing prospect. He's been playing at IMG Academy in Florida, so he's been acclimating to life as a pro, though his game doesn't extend much beyond size.
He does boast more mobility than expected from a 290-pounder and is said to have a pretty solid shooting touch in individual workouts.
It would be naive to ignore the global marketing potential here, too. If Bhamara ever makes the NBA, he'll become the league's first Indian-born player - Sim Bhullar is of Indian descent, but was not born there - and that's an enormous market the league hasn't yet tapped.
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