Satnam Singh named to Texas Legends roster, makes D-League debut on opening night

It has been a whirlwind few months for Satnam Singh, the 19-year-old 7-footer from Punjab who made history by becoming the first Indian to ever be drafted into the NBA this year. After he completed his storied journey from far rural Punjab to the IMG Academy in Florida, he declared for the NBA Draft after five years at the basketball academy earlier this year. He spent a month travelling around different NBA cities to work out and show his skills, and at the 2015 NBA Draft, he made history when the Dallas Mavericks picked him 52nd. He played for Dallas' Summer League team with mixed returns, came back to India a hero to promote the game and work with the NBA's "Jump" programme, and then returned to the US for his shot at the Mavericks' D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends.

2015 will be a year that Satnam - and all Indian fans - will never forget. And now, 'King Singh' finally gets the stability he has craved for in Frisco, Texas, to focus back on the one thing that started off his entire journey: basketball.

A day before their first game of the season, Satnam Singh was named among the 12-man opening night roster for the Texas Legends for their upcoming D-League season. In the Legends' first game on Friday, November 13th on the road to the Austin Spurs, Satnam made his D-League debut off the bench!

The Legends' opening night roster features Jamil Wilson, Brandon Ashley, Allen Durham, Toure' Murray, and Tu Holloway who started for the team against Austin. Aside from Satnam, the team has more intrigue for Asian fans in the form of Philippines' basketball player Bobby Ray Parks Jr.

Satnam played 10 minutes in his debut, shot two of four for four points, grabbed three rebounds, and registered one block. However, his Legends lost the game in a blowout to to the Spurs 106-81. Check out Satnam's first pro basket in the video below:



The D-League season will last till April 2nd, and if Satnam is able to contribute and improve his performances and in-game conditioning, he can be sure to call Frisco his home for the next five months. However, in the best case scenario, I hope that he performs well enough to be relocated about 45 kilometers south to Dallas and earn that NBA call-up!

Meanwhile, enjoy the Legends' season with Satnam - the schedule is available here and their games are broadcast on YouTube.

Satnam Singh Bhamara makes history by becoming 1st Indian drafted into the NBA - picked 52nd by the Dallas Mavericks

I love basketball and I love writing about basketball. In my work, there has usually been two different content paths that I have pursued: Indian Basketball and the NBA. Go down the list of my blog posts or my articles for other publications and you will see news, features, and analysis for these two subject matters, which, despite both being about the same sport, have been mutually exclusive.

From today onwards, that mutual exclusivity is going to change forever.

With the 52nd pick of the 2015 NBA Draft, the Dallas Mavericks selected Satnam Singh on India. And with that one quick swoop, a shake-hand with the NBA's Deputy Commissioner, and a Mavericks hat over his giant head, history was made. Satnam Singh Bhamara, the 19-year-old, 7-foot-2 Indian from Punjab who has been honing his game at the IMG Basketball Academy in Florida for the past five years, became the first Indian citizen to be drafted into the NBA. A dream that started in tiny Punjabi village has ended up on the podium at the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn. Satnam has achieved what no Indian in the country's 70-year basketball history achieved before: make it to the NBA.

Satnam surprised many people by declaring for the NBA Draft after he couldn't secure a college scholarship, but he has backed up his decision with hard work and impressive performances at the pre-draft workouts. The Dallas Mavericks were one of the seven teams to host Satnam and it now seems that he convinced them of his potential enough for them to pick him late in the second round.

Satnam has a long way to go, of course. He is nowhere close to being ready for big-time NBA action, or even be ready to crack the Mavericks' top 15 roster. But being drafted has given him some security for his near future and puts him in a good position in Dallas to improve and become a better player. It is likely that the Mavericks will stash him into the D-League for a year or two and see how he develops. The Mavericks' D-League team is the Texas Legends, whose former assistant coach Scott Flemming was also the coach of India's Senior National Men's team.

This is also not a time for Indian basketball to rest on its laurels. Apart from his pre-teens where he dominated in junior tournaments in India for Punjab, the majority of Satnam's development has come thanks to the coaches at the IMG Academy, where he has been since he was 14-years-old. Satnam returned to India regularly to play in domestic national tournaments as well as represent the national squad in international championships, but these trips were more of a hindrance than a benefit. Sure, Satnam gained some experience playing in his country's colours, but the negative attitudes of many domestic coaches and selectors in India, and a threat of injury, kept him away, and he (rightly) focused his efforts completely into training for the NBA. Satnam has broken a major barrier, but Indian Basketball still has a long way to go.

I have written a lot about Satnam in the past, and over the next few days, weeks, months, and (hopefully) years, I will be writing a lot more about him. But for now, let's celebrate the day that an Indian basketball player got drafted into the NBA, become a worldwide trending topic, broke an international barrier for the NBA, and reawakened fans in India about the game of basketball. Let's celebrate Satnam Singh Bhamara for achieving the near-impossible through his natural gifts, his hard work, his dedication, and the right attitude to become the best that he can possibly be. Let's celebrate the fact that Indian basketball and NBA news will never be the same again.

Let's celebrate King Singh! #KingSingh, y'all.