For now, India native Singh just trying to stay on his feet with Mavericks
The New Orleans Pelicans were on a fast break Saturday, and Satnam Singh was trying to get back on defense in his first taste of life in the NBA.
But as the 7-foot-2-inch center for the Dallas Mavericks attempted to backpedal and pick up his man, down he went, tripping over his size 20 feet.
It might be the perfect metaphor for the state of the sport in Singh‘s native India. You’re going to have to walk before you can run, and even the walking part might have its pitfalls.
The NBA is looking at India, a nation of 1.28 billion people that represents almost 16 percent of the world’s population, as its next frontier. And Singh, who was taken in the second round of last month‘s draft by the Mavericks with the No. 52 pick as the country‘s first native player, is among the pioneers to help grow the game there.
There‘s also an NBA owner from India — Vivek Ranadive of the Sacramento Kings — and there‘s a referee working at the NBA Summer League with roots in India. Suyash Mehta was born in Baltimore, but his parents were born in India.
On the first day of the summer league playoffs, Singh played only four minutes and had one point and one rebound Wednesday in the Mavericks‘ 88-86 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers at the Thomas & Mack Center.
"I‘m trying to help open the gate for the young people back home," Singh said. "I don’t feel any pressure to perform. I just have to play basketball and learn."
The Mavericks aren‘t in a rush to get Singh on the court just so they can sell his jersey in India. He‘s going to play with the Texas Legends, Dallas‘ NBA Development League team, in the 2015-16 season.
"It‘s going to be day by day with him," said former NBA guard Nick Van Exel, who coaches the Legends. "It‘s definitely a long-term project. But he‘s a hard worker, he listens and wants to get better."
And he‘s huge. Think Andre The Giant huge. As Utah Jazz coach Frank Layden once said of another big man — Mark Eaton — "You can‘t teach height."
But for the NBA, Singh is part of an overall master plan to grow the sport in India. The league has had an office in Mumbai since 2011. Sony has partnered with the league to televise 14 games a week throughout the country.
The league‘s Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA Program has reached more than one million kids and helped train over 1,000 coaches. More than a million people follow the NBA in India via social media platforms, and the NBA.com/India page views were up 30 percent last season.
"It just shows you that the world is shrinking," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said. "We made a fact-finding trip to Mumbai in December, and what we found was that there‘s a large young population, that while cricket is the most popular, second-most popular and third-most popular sport, there‘s tremendous potential for basketball."
They recognize that with concentrated urban populations that basketball makes sense. It doesn‘t require open fields or a large amount of space. The government looks positively at basketball because it can be played by males and females. It‘s a team sport that helps develop a strong work ethic.
"On top of that, the young people in India love our players, and they are excited to watch our games," Silver said. "And with social media, fans there are following our sport like our fans here."
Silver said at some point the NBA will play an exhibition game in India. And if Ranadive has his way, it will be sooner than later and the Kings will be involved.
Ranadive, who was born in Juhu, knows the unlimited potential for the market in his native country and is getting in on the ground floor.
"I view basketball as the sport of the 21st century, what soccer was in the 20th century," Ranadive said. "It‘s a game that can be played indoors and outdoors by one person, or two people, boys and girls, in cities and in villages, rich countries, poor countries. It lends itself well to a country like India where there isn‘t a lot of space.
"The people in India like nonstop action. They like numbers. They like celebration. They like all the highlights that basketball provides."
Ranadive said the Kings are sending equipment, running coaching clinics and even sending their dance team to India to expose people to the NBA.
"This is a long-term commitment," he said. "Basketball is here to stay (in India). We want to be the first team to play an NBA game in India, but we need to find an adequate facility that can support an NBA-class game."
Perhaps Singh will play in that first NBA game in India. But just being in Las Vegas is something he couldn’t have comprehended a couple of years ago.
In three games with Dallas, he has played 15 minutes, scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds.
"When I first heard my name (after being drafted), I felt really good. I cried," Singh said. "I’m sure I will eventually play in the NBA. I‘m not playing there for now. But after one year, two years, maybe then. I‘ll have a lot of experience in basketball by then, and that will make me better."
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj
