Satnam Singh, the first Indian player to be drafted in America’s National Basketball Association, was provisionally suspended by the National Anti Doping Agency for failing a dope test, according to a report by The Indian Express. The substance over which he was banned was not confirmed.
The dope test was conducted last month during the national camp in Bangalore ahead of the South Asian Games, which began in Kathmandu. After the test returned positive, the 23-year-old was provisionally suspended on November 19, continued the report.
Satnam is not part of the Indian squad at the ongoing South Asian Games in Kathmandu, Nepal.
However, team officials and Basketball Federation of India are said to be unaware of the suspension.
“Satnam told us at the last minute that there was some family problem and would not be able to take part in the South Asian Games. We are not aware of a positive dope test,” BFI secretary Chander Mukhi Sharma was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
He added that Nada sends these reports to the office and since he was out of town, he has not seen any such document.
Satnam had made history when he was drafted in the second round of the 2015 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks with the 52nd overall pick. The 7’2 Punjab lad played for the Mavericks in the NBA’s Summer League and spent two years with the Texas Legends, a G-League affiliate of the franchise.
He has represented India in at the Asian Championships, 2018 Commonwealth Games and the 2019 World Cup Qualifiers.