Palpreet Singh from Punjab’s Ludhiana knocks on NBA door
Palpreet Singh Brar of Ludhiana Basketball Academy eligible for selection in D League draft coming up on Oct 25, keen to play with world’s best
Punjab player Palpreet Singh Brar (21) is the latest Indian to chase his basketball dream in the US. He is close to signing a contract with the NBA Development League.
The winner of national finals of ACG-NBA Jump — India’s first national basketball talent search programme — will now become eligible for selection in the NBA D League Draft to be held on October 25. If he makes it to the NBA, he will be the second Indian after Satnam Singh, whom Dallas Mavericks picked last year.
Both players come from Punjab’s Ludhiana Basketball Academy. A 6-foot-9-inch tall Brar, who trains at the New York Athletic Club with coach Ross Burn in Manhattan, said in a statement issued here: “I have trained hard and I am confident of being picked in the draft. I will make the most of this rare opportunity.”
Brar had impressed former NBA champion Brian Shaw in the ACG-NBA Jump national finals in February-end and played in the national tryouts on August 14 in New York. More than 200 pro-basketball hopefuls exhibited their talent in front of NBA D-League executives, coaches, and scouts that day.
Brar will have to compete against more than 200 other NBA aspirants. “The competition is tough but it is great to know you are competing with the best to play in the world’s best league,” he said. There are more NBA talent hunts planned in India and the other countries. (HTC inputs)