Satnam Singh Bhamara, the first Indian player to be drafted into an NBA team in 2015, has been provisionally suspended by the National Anti-Doping Agency after he failed a dope test last month. The 23-year-old Punjab cager failed an out-of-competition test conducted in Bengaluru by NADA during the preparatory camp for the South Asian Games . He was provisionally suspended on November 19. The prohibited substance found from Bhamara’s urine sample is not known.

Bhamara, however, insisted that he “was and remains a clean” athlete. In a statement issued on Saturday, the 23-year-old Bhamara requested NADA for a hearing by its Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel.

“Mr Bhamara had received a notice from NADA dated 11.11.2019 stating that Mr Bhamara has failed a doping test for a prohibited substance. Mr Bhamara is disputing the said charge and has requested a hearing before the NADA Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel in order to put forth his case,” the statement said. “Mr Bhamara would like to state that he was and remains a clean competitor and has always played basketball fairly.”