Photo/Illutration Rui Hachimura of the Washington Wizards scores a goal in an NBA game against the Dallas Mavericks in October. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

A boy grew up in a farming village of 800 people and knew virtually nothing about basketball, let alone the world’s top professional league, until he was 10 years old.

The documentary film “One in a Billion” follows the life story of Satnam Singh, the first Indian player to be drafted into the U.S. National Basketball Association.

His life took a turn when he was 14. The 2-meter-tall student was selected for a basketball academy in the United States.

For a while, the only English word he could utter was “sorry” when he was spoken to.

Singh struggled with the pressure of anxiety as well as the burden of expectations of people back home.

People supporting him taught him English, built up his body to compete on the court and had him think how he should live as an athlete.

In 2015, when he was 19, Singh was one of the 60 players selected in the annual NBA draft. 

It was impressive how his teachers, coaches and agent kept giving him advice and encouragement without losing hope.

The NBA became aware of overseas markets at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, when the U.S. “Dream Team,” a squad of NBA stars, achieved spectacular success.

The U.S. professional league started not only accepting established foreign players but also trying to discover and nurture young talent in other countries.

The initiative is primarily aimed at gaining commercial profits, but it has had no small impact on basketball communities around the world.

Although Singh has yet to play in an NBA game, his presence must have generated a sense of confidence among the 1.3 billion people of India.

We can easily imagine his influence, having seen what Rui Hachimura and Yuta Watanabe, two NBA players from Japan, have done for the nation. Hachimura has become a key player this season for the Washington Wizards.

When the U.S. professional league opened its latest season, its rosters tallied 108 foreign players from 38 countries and regions.

The higher the hurdle, the more strongly the league attracts players and the more intensely it excites the hearts of fans.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 23

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.