Several years ago, three young Sikh boys, from various parts of Punjab and Chandigarh, crossed paths at the Ludhiana Basketball Academy (LBA). All three teenagers were tall, had nimble footwork, and – behind the silences that covered their nervous faces – they had a shared ambition to become the best basketball players they could possibly be. They shared dorms together, practiced against each other in the sweaty confines of the Guru Nanak Stadium, and toughened each other up.
One by one, each of the three teens made their debut with the Indian national basketball team, and each, in their own way, eventually enjoyed a major breakout on the international basketball stage.
A few years later, the youngest of those three boys – Satnam Singh Bhamara – would make history by becoming the first Indian national to be drafted into the NBA. Satnam would later be assigned to the D-League team Texas Legends and, a year later, wait to begin his second season in the NBA’s Development League.
Now, if fate and preparation can bear their fruits, Satnam may not be the only Indian in the D-League. After recently signing a contract that makes them eligible for the upcoming D-League draft, two more of the LBA’s graduates from India – Amjyot Singh Gill and Palpreet Singh Brar – may help achieve a Ludhiana reunion in North America.
While they can trace their basketball origins to the same academy, Palpreet Singh and Amjyot Singh have since taken distinctly different paths to their D-League opportunity. Originally from Sri Muktsar Sahib in south Punjab, Palpreet (21), a six-foot-nine power forward, enjoyed his big international breakthrough for India’s U18 team at the FIBA Asia U18 Championship in Mongolia. Ever since then, he became a regular in the Indian national squad, usually playing backup minutes to Amjyot. Earlier this year, Palpreet’s fortunes turned when he was chosen from dozens of finalists from across the country as the winner of the ACG-NBA Jump talent scouting programme. For the next few months, NBA coaches helped Palpreet prepare for the D-League open tryouts this summer in New York, and after impressing some teams, Palpreet signed a D-League contract.
Amjyot, meanwhile, improved dramatically after his early years as a teen at the LBA. Originally from Chandigarh, Amjyot (24), also a six-foot-nine power forward, soon became one of India’s frontcourt lynchpins. Over the last few years, he has staked his claim as one of the country’s best players, and has been part of India’s historic campaigns at the 2014 FIBA Asia Cup, the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship, and the 2016 FIBA Asia Challenge. Amjyot also played professionally in Japan’s D-League to win a title and is part of an internationally successful FIBA 3×3 squad. His head-turning performances caught the attention of NBA scouts and, just about a week ago, it was revealed that he had signed a D-League contract too, in anticipation for the draft.
The six-round NBA D-League draft, set to be held on October 30, will feature more than 200 draft-eligible players. Out of these, Amjyot and Palpreet will be fighting to be among the top 130 odd players who usually get drafted. If they get drafted, they will have to report to the team within a day or two for a training camp, where they will be assessed on physical, health, and various skill parameters. How well they do between their draft preparation and the camp will determine if they are eventually offered a contract with one of the D-League’s 22 teams.
No player of Indian citizenship has yet played in the NBA. If Amjyot and Palpreet can join Satnam in the D-League, there will be three Singhs in the NBA’s periphery, drastically improving the chances of an Indian earning a call-up to the NBA if either of them can prove their worth.
Half a dozen years ago, Satnam, Amjyot and Palpreet were just three young kids with unformed bodies, raw talents, and a shared burning ambition. Today, they carry on their backs the hopes of an entire basketball nation. After coming so improbably far in their basketball journeys, nothing in the future ahead seems impossible.
You can follow the writer KARAN MADHOK on Twitter @Hoopistani.
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