Mukatsar Sahib to New York: NBA D-League side Long Island Nets sign Palpreet Singh

New York: India basketball player Palpreet Singh Brar has made history after being picked up by the Long Island Nets in the NBA D-League Drafts, on Sunday night (Monday morning, IST).

This makes Palpreet the second Indian to be drafted into the second tier American basketball league, after Satnam Singh Bhamara, who signed for D-League side Dallas Mavericks, last year.

Palpreet also managed to etch his name into the history books, as he became the first India to be drafted directly into the NBA D-League.

Indian national basketball team captain Amritpal Singh and star player Amjyot Singh, were also present in the drafts, but failed to impress any of the development league sides.

The duo of Amritpal and Amjyot had impressed on the national and international circuits, before becoming the first Indians to get professional contracts in Japan, signing for Tokyo Excellence.

They went on to further their reputation in the Land of the Rising Sun, by winning the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) with Tokyo Excellence.

However, Palpreet’s story makes it all the more interesting, as the 21-year-old made his way from a small Punjab town Mukatsar Sahib to New York.

The 6’9 ft cager was noticed in the first ever NBA India tryouts, last year. Since then, he has been training under NBA India coach Carlos Barroca, to fine-tune his skills and fitness.