National Basketball Association

Did Mark Cuban draft India's Bhamara for marketing reasons?

Published Jun. 26, 2015 10:15 a.m. ET

foxsports

By Steve DelVecchio

The Dallas Mavericks made history on Thursday night when they drafted Satnam Singh Bhamara, making him the first player from India to ever be selected in the NBA Draft. It’s no coincidence that Mark Cuban’s team took Bhamara.

After Dallas picked Bhamara at No. 52 overall, Cuban made reference to the fact that the Mavs just dramatically increased their fan base.

Roughly 1.25 billion people live in India, and you can bet most of them are proud to see their 7-foot-2 countryman get a shot in the NBA. The situation immediately makes you think of when Yao Ming was drafted in 2002, though he was taken first overall and had a lot more hype attached to him.

As we know, Cuban is a genius when it comes to business. One of the reasons he wanted his team to draft Bhamara was the same reason he said he would take this women’s basketball star if she entered the NBA Draft. Cuban is always looking for ways to increase revenue, and he’s not afraid to admit it.

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