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Macro Sim

Sim Bhullar, the first player of Indian origin to play in the NBA, talks about everything from his kingsize bed in Toronto to inspiring youngsters in this country to take up the sport

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Sacramento Kings star Sim Bhullar at a hotel in Mumbai on Saturday. With foreign players having come to the country to promote the game, the hoopler believes that his Indian roots will help him connect to the youth
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Ever since he made his debut for Sacramento Kings in April, Sim Bhullar has been living life king size. So much so that the first player of Indian origin to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA) was accorded extra leg room on his journey from Sacramento to Mumbai via Brussels. That's not all. Unable to fit into a normal car on Saturday, Bhullar came in a mega van for his interaction with the media. It doesn't end here for the Canadian-born Punjabi. From seats and cars, he was given a golden throne to sit on. Bhullar truly feels like a king these days.

Wearing an NBA tee and brown shorts that was at least XXXL, Bhullar did seem a bit nervous for his first trip to India in seven years. All that he needed was the orange ball and he was good to go. "This is my fourth time in India. I was 15 the last time I came here. I was six feet eight inches then. I had come to Amritsar for a wedding. Everywhere I went, the crowd kept following me. It's a lot less than today, but it was quite a lot for a 15-year-old.

This is my first time to Mumbai. I'm excited to be here. This is history right here. I'm like that bridge for the kids. Being the first Indian, I hope to have the connect with the audience that the NBA is trying to tap into. I hope that works in our favour and inspires a whole lot of kids. There's a huge pool of talent that needs to be tapped into. I don't see why we can't see a couple of players making their name in the NBA after five or six years," Bhullar said.

With the introductions completed, it was no surprise to see the first question shot at Bhullar being about his built. "I knew you'd ask me this," said the 22-year-old. "This question never gets old, does it? My dad's about 6'4 and my mom's 5'10. My younger brother, too, is more than seven feet tall. I get the height from my mom's side. Everyone there is pretty tall," he chuckles. Bhullar does happen you manage things just right. "I have a kingsize bed back home. It's seven-and-a-half feet by five feet. I wear a size 22 shoes, so everything as you can see is pretty big. It's kind of hard, especially the clothes. It's a struggle sometimes to shop. As far as basketball is concerned, I use my height as a weapon, it can get really tough for the opposition to mark someone so tall," says Bhullar, who weighs 163 kg.

Bhullar might have spent his childhood growing in Canada after his parents migrated to the country in 1988, but staying connected to his Punjabi roots was always his top priority. "Growing up, my parents told the three of us (Bhullar has a brother and a sister, both junior) to be true to you roots and culture. We always spoke Punjabi in the house. Mom would get really angry when we spoke English. She taught us to be Indian first. I was raised to be a Sikh. I'm very much a Punjabi at heart," says Bhullar, who makes it a point to visit the gurudwara.

Besides sticking to his roots, his parents also gave him the best advice he's ever received. "I really paid a lot of importance to school. Education was always the top priority for my parents. So much so that I'm working on my degree in sociology. I'm still taking classes in the summer. It's important to have something to fall back on. You can't play basketball when you're 40-50, education always helps you in the long run," says Bhullar, who made it a point to save up for every home game of the Toronto Raptors. "Growing up in Toronto, I had to be a Raptors fan. I still remember my sister and I paying 10-15 dollars for their games at the Air Canada Centre. Vince Carter was my idol growing up."

Bhullar may go on to inspire a generation of Indians, but for him, nothing matters more than his dad's word. "My dad drove a taxi when he moved to Canada. He's been driving for the past 25 years. He opened an auto-body garage shop only recently. He's one of the most hardworking people I've ever met. He used to work 14-hour days then. He still doesn't want anyone to help him. Whenever I'm back home, I go and help him at the gas station. I maybe the only NBA player to work at a gas station. But my dad is the reason why I'm here in front of all you guys today. He's the real superstar of my story."

April 7, 2015, was the date everything changed for Bhullar. After signing a 10-day-contract, he made his much-awaited NBA debut playing 16.1 seconds during his team's 116-111 win over Minnesota Timberwolves. "I didn't think about the tenure of the contract when Sacramento came knocking. All I ever wanted was to be on the NBA roster. To have my own jersey in the team store. You really don't think about that kind of stuff. You want to be the guy your team shelled out those millions for. The feeling of being in the locker room watching everyone in their own zone. The huddle before the whistle can give you gooseflesh. Right now, I'm just taking the time off. But during the season you'd always want to be the first one in the gym and the last one to leave," adds Bhullar, who gave a sneak peak into his pre-game ritual. "I remember the game where I shot my first triple-double (in February against the Los Angeles D-Fenders in the NBA Development League). I had a Starbucks before the game. I really felt good after that and ever since, I've always had a Starbucks before every game," he says with a hearty laugh.

Bhullar takes a back seat when asked about the lowest point in his career. "That's a tough question I must admit. No one's really ever asked me that. It was during middle school. Growing up, you'll always have those doubts over yourself but I was quick to turn things around and decide that I want to be the best in what I do. People have said a lot of bad things as well but it's important to not let your mind be affected by such things. I'm impressed with the strides I have made in the past year. I knew what I wanted to be at the end of the year and I think I have reached that mark with a long way in store for me. The coach (George Karl) and (team owner) Vivek Ranadivé, who treats me like a son, have said that I'm very much a part of their plans for next season."

Bhullar also talks about his younger brother Tanveer, who plays college basketball for New Mexico State as a freshman. "He's a guy I can relate to. We are both extremely tall. We share the same upbringing. His story is the same as mine. We give each other advice. I'm doing my best to make the path easy for him so that it doesn't take much time for the world to see both brothers play in the NBA."

Besides his brother, Bhullar also has a keen eye for Satnam Singh Bhamara, another Punjabi boy who became the first Indian-born player to enter the 2015 NBA Draft. "He's a great player and I hope he gets drafted. India will get another ambassador for the game. It's just great for the country, great for the game to see such talent coming out. We have been talking to each other and I can't wait to see him here."

You can take the boy out of India, but can't take the India out of the boy. Bhullar did surprise a few when he revealed that he does know a thing or two about cricket. "I used to stay with my maternal grandparents during the holidays and that's when I used to watch cricket. I have played the game. Canada has a cricket team but that's something that has never crossed my mind. Considering that I'm 7 feet 5 inches, you can imagine from where the ball will come from," he says. The rest of us laugh.

KNOW BHULLAR
Date of Birth: December 2, 1992
Height: 7ft 5in
Weight: 161 kg
Team: Sacramento Kings
Position: Centre

DID YOU KNOW?

Bhullar made his much-awaited NBA debut, playing 16.1 seconds in the fourth quarter against Minnesota Timberwolves on April 7. He scored his first points (2) in a 91-103 loss to the Utah Jazz on April 8.

Size does matter for the 22-year-old. He wears Size 22 shoes, sleeps in a bed that's seven-and-a-half feet by five feet. During his three-day stay in Mumbai, this gentle giant travelled in a mega van

His father, Avtar, ran a gas station in Toronto for 25 years and recently opened an auto-body garage shop. Bhullar used to spend time there whenever he was home.

Basketball runs in the family, his younger brother, Tanveer (20), plays college basketball for New Mexico State. What's his height? A whopping 7feet and 3 inches

This avid Toronto Raptors and Vince Carter fan does know how to swing a cricket bat. How? Because watched the game during his visits to India as a kid.

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