Satnam Singh Bamra visits Golden Temple

AMRITSAR: Some were impressed by the fact that he is Indias first NBA player others by his massive 72 frame Not many people knew about Satnam Singh Bhamra a 19year old from the humble village of Ballo Ke in Barnala before he created history by becoming the first Indian basketball player to be drafted into NBA

Updated At : 06:24 AM Aug 08, 2015 IST

<p>Satnam Singh Bhamra, the first basketball player from India who made it to the NBA, visits the Golden Temple along with his family members in Amritsar on Friday. Photo: Vishal Kumar</p>

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 7

Some were impressed by the fact that he is India’s first NBA player, others by his massive, 7’2" frame. Not many people knew about Satnam Singh Bhamra, a 19-year old from the humble village of Ballo Ke in Barnala, before he created history by becoming the first Indian basketball player to be drafted into NBA.

While the media in the US and India cannot get enough of this young player’s rise to stardom, Bhamra still feels overwhelmed by all this. “I felt happy and proud to meet my family and my friends at the Ludhiana Basketball Academy. Visiting the Golden Temple to pay his respects, Bhamra was accompanied by his mentor and general secretary of Punjab Basketball Association Teja Singh Dhaliwal. “I owe my success to the almighty’s blessings and wanted to come here before I return to the US,” he told the media after paying obeisance at the Golden temple. Calling himself a deeply spiritual man, Satnam also visited the Radhaswami Satsang Beas on his way to Amritsar.

Inheriting his size from his father Balbir Singh, who is a farmer and wanted to pursue sports himself until otherwise. Satnam’s humble beginnings at the Ludhiana Basketball Academy became the ground to nurture his talent with basketball. After being noticed by one of the representatives of NBA’s India operations, Satnam never looked back. However, all the excitement associated with his achievement kept aside, Satnam says that the there is no dearth of quality players in India, only if their worth is duly recognized. “I am extremely grateful to everyone, who has supported me but I do feel that the government and sporting authorities should nurture players before success stories happen. It’s a tough road to the top and one has to struggle before success happens,” said Bamra, who had led the Punajb State Basketball team when he was 14.

Teja Singh Dhaliwal, too, agreed. “To become the first Indian player, without any professional or high-school career, in the NBA is a commendable achievement and despite Satnam’s rawness, I am positive that he is here to stay,” said Dhaliwal. Calling his success story a lesson to learn from for upcoming young basketball players in India, Dhaliwal said that Satnam has now put India under the spotlight for the progression of the game. “We hope to support and groom more such players from Punjab and India, who have the potential to play with the best in the game internationally.”