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Dallas Mavericks select Satnam Singh, first Indian-born player in draft history

Eric Freeman

The NBA is an ever-expanding league, with broad fan interest throughout the world and players increasingly coming from new nations and areas of the globe. That reach hit a new milestone on Thursday night when the Dallas Mavericks selected 7-foot-2 center Satnam Singh with the 52nd pick in the 2015 NBA draft. Singh is the first Indian-born player to be selected in the draft, following in the footsteps of 7-5 Sacramento Kings center Sim Bhullar, who became the first player of Indian descent to play in the league in April.

Singh posed with Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson after the selection:

The 19-year-old Singh was born in a small village in the Indian province of Punjab and came to America in 2010 to attend high school and train at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. He had planned to play in college but was not heavily recruited due to concerns that he would not qualify academically, which essentially forced him to turn pro. Singh spent the past year playing for IMG's graduate team with an eye toward being drafted.

It's not clear how Singh fits into the Mavericks' future. While he is very, very raw, he has a strong outside shot (via SB Nation):

Unlike many of the tallest prospects, Singh already has an adult's body at 290 pounds. Nevertheless, it has already been announced that he will play for the Texas Legends, the team's D-League affiliate:

Not surprisingly, the Mavericks see Singh as a long-term project, someone who can develop into his skills and perhaps eventually contribute. Teams have certainly selected players with less potential at No. 52, so it's a low-risk proposition for Dallas. It will also probably help the franchise become more popular internationally:

No matter if Singh ever makes the NBA, the mere fact that he made it this far is notable. Former Yahoo Sports reporter Les Carpenter covered IMG's efforts to develop Singh in 2013 and found a promising player in need of some help:

Over time Natt would learn Satnam's story. He would hear of a father almost as big who owned a rice and cotton farm in a small village in the region of Punjab, which is in the far north of India, tucked up against Pakistan. He would be told that the father introduced Satnam to basketball despite knowing little about the game himself. He heard how the boy grew and grew as local clubs began to notice.

What surprised Natt most was how fundamentally sound the giant seemed to be and how well he could catch passes and hit hook shots. Yes, there were holes in Satnam's game. Huge holes. But holes could be fixed. Desire couldn't. His favorite moment came when he shook Satnam's hand and his palm felt like it was sliding into a human catcher's mitt. He looked with wonder upon one of the biggest 16-year-olds he had ever seen.

"He was so strong and he had no idea how big he was," Natt said. "I could see he had the body of an adult man, but his personality is so genuine in the way he said 'yes, sir' and 'no, sir' and 'can you really help me, coach?' That's how he presented himself to me. I cherished the opportunity." [...]

"He believes because he has the strength, the power and the advantage of training here, he thought he would be picked for the national team," the translator says. "He was satisfied with the way he worked. Also Coach Kenny saw his performance over a period of time."

Carpenter goes on to say that IMG's eventual goal was to get Singh to the NBA, although it's spoken of as an abstract desire rather than something that could be achieved in two years. While Singh is still a ways off from that moment, his selection on Thursday marks an important moment in his career and for the development of basketball in India. There's a lot left to do, but he has already accomplished more than many ever would have thought possible.

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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!