However, on Thursday as soon as Dallas Mavericks picked him as its 52nd in the 60-player Draft, making him the first ever Indian-born player to be selected in the NBA, Satnam knew his life will never be the same.
Growing up in a remote village Ballo Ke in Punjab province, Satnam was destined to become a farmer — like his father.
However, on Thursday as soon as Dallas Mavericks picked him as its 52nd in the 60-player Draft, making him the first ever Indian-born player to be selected in the NBA, Satnam knew his life will never be the same.
Satnam's father, Balbir Singh, works the flour mills and raises dairy cows, just like many of others in the village. Life was going as usual until he saw his son grow rapidly.
"When he was standing at five feet nine inches at the age of nine, I knew my son is born to do something different. I told my wife he will have to go out (of the village) in order to make his mark," said Balbir.
"I immediately decided to send him to Teja Singh in Ludhiana, who runs a basketball academy there."
On Friday, after his son was drafted in to NBA, Satnam said, "All my sacrifices have paid off. I couldn't do much in my life, but ensured a better life for my children. God has listened to our prayers," he said.
Satnam's mother, Sukhwinder Kaur, who is five feet two inches tall, said that Balbir, too, once nursed a dream of being a sportsman.
"His (Satnam) father wanted to be a sportsman but he could not venture out because of family liabilities. Also, there was no playground or coach in and around our village. The nearest town was 'Tapa' and that's also 12 kilometres away," said Sukhwinder.
Talking about her son's success, she said that Balbir got support from his friend, Rajinder Singh, who took Satnam out of the village and helped him get in touch with the president of the Punjab Basketball Association, Teja Singh Dhaliwal.
Satnam's sister Sarbjot Kaur, who completed her nursing course recently, remembered how it was nearly impossible to find right-sized shoes for her brother.
"My father did manage to get a shoe sized 16 for Rs 4,700 from Chandigarh in 2008. But it lasted only for three months," said Sarbjot.
Satnam has only completed his high school and his family has no idea how he is going to pursue higher education.
"I don't know what he will do. But I am sure he is on the right path and will reach the right destination," said Sarbjot.
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