Satnam Singh Bhamra has been a media's sensation after he got drafted into the NBA when he was just 19. Netflix recently released a documentary titled 'One in a Billion' on this 21-year-old, making him the youngest Indian sportsman to have his life story recorded.
In the past when Satnam was first drafted in NBA, Abhishek Bachchan had written a column in a leading newspaper stating, "I believe he can be that change agent. Like I keep saying, he has shown us the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. He has proved to us that if you stay true to your dream and trust yourself, you can achieve whatever you want. I hope his story inspires every boy who shoots some hoops in the morning, goes to school and comes back to show a few more."
Bachchan was overjoyed at the Punjab boy's achievement in 2015, "My joy knew no bounds when I heard that Satnam Singh was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks on Friday morning. It has been a fantastic few months for basketball in India. First it was Sim Bhullar, a naturalised Canadian with firm Indian roots, who did us proud. And, now, it's Satnam. Simply put, he has just given all of us another reason to walk with our chests puffed up. Mind you, this is a huge achievement. Very huge. I think it's a big step for not just for Indian basketball, but the very idea of sport in our country."
This appreciation towards the other is not one sided. Satnam also told a newspaper in the past that he never misses any of Abhishek's films. And more recently when asked who would be the right person to play lead if a biopic was made on his life, Satnam didn't bat an eyelid before saying, "Abhishek Bachchan"
Junior Bachchan promptly took to twitter and promised to do this biopic. But on one condition. That Satnam wins the NBA championship first.
Abhishek has been an ardent fan of basket ball and had gone to watch the Lakers take on the Celtics when he was just 8. He had said to a leading paper, "In those days, my favorite NBA team used to play its home games at The Forum. It was only in 1999 that they shifted to The Staples Centre. I vividly remember watching Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, AC Green, Kurt Rambis, James Worthy, Byron Scott and Michael Cooper in action that day. I haven't stopped following, playing or talking about basketball since that summer trip to the United States more than 31 years ago.
Subsequently, I took up the game in boarding school and enjoyed it thoroughly. In fact, I regularly play at the Jamnabai Narsee School in Juhu. That's how close the sport is to my heart."
Abhishek had also become the first Indian to play in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game celebrity the same year Satnam was drafted in NBA first.
