B’Day Special: Sim Bhullar – 1st Ever NBA Player of Indian Descent
The Toronto-born Sim Bhullar is the first ever Indian descent basketball player to have made it to the NBA.
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‘Sacramento Sim’
The California-based basketball team Sacramento Kings announced that they have signed Sim Bhullar to a 10-day contract on Thursday, making the 7ft-5inch center the first player of Indian descent to join an National Basketball Association (NBA) roster.
The Toronto-born Bhullar initially signed with the organisation last August, playing 39 games for the Kings’ development league affiliate Reno Bighorns, where he averaged 10.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.
MVP At Mexico State
The 22-year-old turned professional last year following two years at New Mexico State, where he was a two-time Western Athletic Conference Most Valuable Player (MVP).
Though he was not selected in the 2014 NBA draft, his performances shocked many observers, who saw the massive center’s (360 pounds) raw skill-set and were amazed. However, there were also experts who claimed that lack of conditioning would prevent him from making an immediate impact at the NBA level.
Punjabi Dad Played Kabaddi
Bhullar’s parents migrated to Canada from Punjab in the late 80s. His father, Avtar, is 6 feet 5 inches and his mother, Varinder, is 5 feet 10 inches. Avtar himself grew up playing kabaddi in Punjab.
Bhullar has a younger brother, Tanveer, who stands at 7 feet 3 inches and currently plays college basketball for New Mexico State as a redshirted freshman.
To see Bhullar in action, watch the video below
(This piece is being reposted for Sim Bhullar’s 24th birthday. The story was originally published on 3 April. After becoming the first player of Indian descent to play in NBA in April 2015, he wasn’t retained by the Sacramento Kings.
In October 2015, Bhullar was was acquired by Raptors 905 of the NBA Development League, for whom, he played 39 matches and in August 2016, he was signed by Dacin Tigers of the Taiwanese Super Basketball League.)
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