The NBA has been graced by the first ever India-born draft pick in the history of the league. Satnam Singh Bhamara, a 19 year old, 7ft 2in 290 lbs center from the small village of Punjab, India, was the 52nd overall pick by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2015 NBA Draft. The young star did not attend college, but instead trained at the IMG Academy in Florida. Given his age and corresponding inexperience, Singh is set to play for the Maverick’s D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends. The Mavericks are undoubtedly looking to benefit from the growing popularity of basketball in India. With a population of 1.25 billion people, India is one of the fastest growing markets in the world; and with little exposure to the NBA nationwide, there is a lot of opportunity for teams to attract new fans.
The Dallas Mavericks have the chance to capitalize on their new acquisition, and if they market Singh properly, he could turn into a massive asset. When Yao Ming joined the Houston Rockets in 2002, many experts expected the Rockets to raise a large amount of revenue from Chinese based businesses. IEG sponsorship experts estimate that the Rockets earned around $1 million in deals from Chinese related sponsorships per MarketWatch.com. I expect the Mavericks to surpass this amount and reap much larger rewards from their draft pick, especially with Mark Cuban at the helm.
Singh, on a personal level, has the opportunity to expand the reach of Indian based brands to the US. His story, as a young basketball player in a small village in Punjab, India, to an up and coming basketball superstar, exemplifies the American spirit of passion and determination. Singh can present himself to any Indian companies looking to get a foothold in the US market, or vice versa, for any US company looking to get a piece of the growing Indian market. He has great potential as an athlete and as a celebrity; hopefully he can fulfill both and spearhead the NBA’s growth in India.
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