The Gem is in India

If you are 7 foot, you will make the NBA. So stop studying for SATs, MCATs, GMATs, and LSATs - your life is set. What in the world am I talking about? Let me explain.

Out of all the places in the world, God chose India to nurture a 14-year old beast, Satnam Singh Bhamara. Yes, this is not a typo - 14-years old! NBA scouts are already drooling over this "future NBA prospect." Now in this business, we call Harrison Barnes of the University of North Carolina and Kyrie Irving of Duke University NBA prospects - players with some level of credibility and old enough to drive! However, the mere fact of being 7'0", although only being 14-years old, has numerous scouts traveling to India to get a glimpse of this phenom. The NBA has yet to feature a native of India, so this is great for this country and the continuing globalization of basketball. When was the last time you heard about India in the FIBA Summer Games or the Basketball Olympic Games? When was the last time you heard about India in any sport - even soccer, the world's most beloved sport?

This could be the start of something great for India. Who knows - the NBA world might have been missing some extraordinary talent because no one ever thought to look for NBA talent in India. But Satnam is getting the ball rolling, by giving his nation some recognition. And imagine if he does well in the NBA: Scouts will be flooding India, looking for more talent that may have been overlooked. And more importantly, more Indian players will pick up the game of basketball, further diversifying the game. Great for the NBA. Great for basketball. Great for India. Satnam has the potential to do great things five years from now.

But, I think it's a little premature to label him the next Yao Ming. I think we should let him finish up junior high before we jump the gun here.


- Leather Head