Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs and Sports Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday lauded 19-year-old Satnam Singh Bhamara, who became the first-ever Indian basketball player to be drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA) when he was roped in by the Dallas Mavericks for next season.
"This is a great moment for Indian sports. And we are proud of the achievement of Satnam Singh. So whatever he did, he did for the countrymen and for the players who have been there in the field of sports," Sonowal told ANI.
"They have now developed their optimism and also they can develop their confidence that at the highest level of competition, Indian can perform well to the best of their abilities," he added.
The 7 foot-2 inch basketball prodigy, who hails from a remote village in Punjab was selected as the 52nd pick of the 60 young men in the NBA Draft.
The Dallas Mavericks have bagged three division titles and two conference championships in addition to securing one NBA Championship title in 2011 since their inaugural 1980-81 season.
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