Basketball players Gokul Natesan and Amjyot Singh were selected in the 2017 NBA G League held in New York on Oct. 22.
Natesan, a resident of California with roots in Tamil Nadu, was picked by the Canton Charge in the fourth round at pick 97. He was named the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Academic Player of the year, averaging 18.5 points, 4.1 assists per game. He also led his team to the NCAA Division 2 Elite 8 round, which was a first for the Colorado School of Mines.
Amjyot, on the other hand, was chosen by the Oklahoma City Blue at No.103. Singh, who couldn’t enter the draft in 2016, is an alumnus of the Ludhiana Basketball Academy.
Singh, 25, has been part of the Indian basketball team since 2015 and would be joining Palpreet Singh, who was taken during the 2016 draft and Satnam Singh, who became the first player to be drafted by NBA with Dallas Mavericks picking him in 2015. That makes a total of three Indian players in NBA platforms. In NBA, teams are required to make at least three selections during the draft.
Singh, who towers at 6 foot 8, hails from Chandigarh. He has also led the India team and was the leading forward in the just-concluded FIBA Asia Cup in Lebanon.
He has also represented Delhi Capitals at the UBA Pro Basketball League. He has participated in the Tokyo Excellence in Japan and played alongside one of the “Big Three” in Indian basketball. Ludhiana Basketball Academy has produced Satnam Singh, Amritpal Singh, and Jagdeep Singh. Amritpal was signed by Australia’s Sydney Kings for the new National Basketball League (NBL) season in August this year. He caught King’s attention during their rookie camp in June.