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26th of June 2015 will go down as a red-letter day in Indian basketball as it was on this day, that the country finally got its first representative in the NBA in the form of Satnam Singh Bhamara, a 19-year-old from Ballo Ke village in Punjab.
Satnam was the 52nd pick out of the 60 picks by the Dallas Mavericks in the draft. In an exclusive telephonic chat with Sportskeeda, he spoke about the thoughts that were going through his mind, the chance to play and learn from Dirk Nowitzki and much more.
Q: Can you tell us about the thoughts that were going through in your mind on the day of the draft?
A: I was just thinking that if I get selected its fine if I don't even that's alright. I was confident of coming back and training and focus on my future.
Q: You played a few games for the Dallas Mavericks recently in the Summer League. How was that experience like?
A: It was a very good experience because it opened a door for me to become a better basketball player in the future.
Q: How has the general reception been from the local public in the United States? Have they started to accept you as one of their own?
A: Yes, definitely. They have been very supportive and they were very happy about my selection. They were glad to see that an Indian has finally broken into the NBA.
Q: How confident are you about breaking into the Mavericks main squad in the near future?
A. I am extremely confident and ready to play now. But it all depends on them, if they think I’ll need to time to develop into a well-rounded player, then that's fine with me. I am willing to wait and bide my time.
Q: What advice would you like to give to all aspiring Indian players?
A: I think it's critical for the players back home to put in the hard yards because I have made it to the top, only because of that and its now up to them to work hard and get up there.
Q: How excited are you about getting an opportunity to play and learn from a superstar like Dirk Nowitzki?
A: I am very happy. I feel it is like god’s gift to me that I have an opportunity to work with him and I am confident that after working with him, I will certainly become a better player.
Q: What was the reaction of your parents to your selection in the NBA?
A: They were very happy. Their dream of seeing their son do well had been realized and they were elated about it.
Here’s the video of Satnam getting drafted into the NBA.
