Summer contract with the Sacramento Kings.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: The National Basketball Association (NBA) officially has its first-ever player of Indian origin: Sim Bhullar.
Bhullar, a center from New Mexico State University, has signed a summer contract with the Sacramento Kings despite not having been drafted in last month’s NBA Draft. This means that although he may not end up playing for the Kings when the 2014-2015 season begins later this year, he will be on the roster, and that marks an historic first for Indian American athletes.
Originally from Canada, Bhullar’s parents hail from Punjab. With a father who is well over six feet tall and a mother who is just under that mark, Bhullar has the genetics for height – but no one anticipated him to become the 7’2”, 360-pound behemoth that he is today.
At New Mexico State, the 21 year-old center proved incredibly adept at playing in the paint, averaging 7.8 rebounds, 3.4 blocks, and 10.4 points per game in his two-year career. Those numbers may not jump off the page, but they are solid and point towards significant potential in the big leagues.
Not to mention, just about any team would love to have a center who’s over seven feet tall underneath the rim.
Bhullar took a gamble in dropping out of college after his sophomore year to enter the draft, but now having been signed for a short-term contract, he can potentially leverage it into a long future with the NBA.
“Guys my size don’t have very long careers and you have to take advantage of it and do the best you can with the time you have to play,” Bhullar said, in an interview with The Globe and Mail “I didn’t want to get hurt in another college season and ruin my chances. And I’m not the kind of guy that’s doing it just to make money right away; I just want to play at the highest level.”
The signing of the NBA’s first Indian-origin player marks yet another milestone for the Kings organization, which, in 2013, became the NBA’s first team to have an Indian-origin majority owner: Vivek Ranadive. Since taking the reins of the Kings, which has floundered in recent years due to low winning percentages and declining ticket sales, Ranadive has transformed the organization into one of the league’s most worldly, especially with regards to India.
If the Kings decide to hold onto to Bhullar, it will give them a valuable defensive presence that could help turn things around for a franchise that ended the regular season with a poor 28-54 record.
“It’s been a dream of mine since I was a kid, to play down on the court at the ACC [Air Canada Centre] and make everyone proud. My family is fine for money, this is about my dream. I want to not only make it, but make an impact,” said Bhullar.
Meanwhile, Bhullar’s younger brother, Tanveer, is also playing college basketball at New Mexico State, and hopes to join the NBA as well in the next year or two. Like Pau and Marc Gasol, the NBA could have another pair of brothers who turn into venerable “big men” in basketball – only time will tell.
The following video of Sim Bhullar is courtesy of Bleacher Report: