Budding basketball players in India always needed a role model from their own country to make it big in NBA. Standing tall at seven feet and five inches, and becoming the first player of Indian-descent to sign a contract with Sacramento Kings in August 2014, Gurusimran 'Sim' Bhullar has made sure his fans back home have the right person to look up to.
Budding basketball players in India always needed a role model from their own country to make it big in NBA. Standing tall at seven feet and five inches, and becoming the first player of Indian-descent to sign a contract with Sacramento Kings in August 2014, Gurusimran 'Sim' Bhullar has made sure his fans back home have the right person to look up to.
Born in Canada to parents who migrated from Punjab, Bhullar gave his ancestral homeland a good reason to celebrate on Independence Day last year when he put pen to paper with the Kings.
"It felt great to be the first one to finally make it to the big league. This not only gave me the faith in myself, but I knew that this would set the platform for Indians to play in the NBA after me," said the 22-year-old in a teleconference from Toronto on Tuesday.
Bhullar was part of the team's pre-season training but was sent down to play for Kings' D-League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns, as the NBA regular season began. Initial nervousness was put to rest seeing the reception he received as he made his debut in December (against the Los Angeles D-Fenders).
"The players were extremely welcoming and warm in their approach and were happy to see someone of Indian origin play with them. Be it any sport and any country, you will always see Indians turn up in numbers. Now they had one of their very own playing right in front of them," Bhullar said.
Taking a cue from the word insanity, Bhullar was given the name 'Simsanity' for his eccentric style of play. With the primary goal achieved, the Kevin Durant fan has kept his immediate goals well within reach. "I want to improve my game in the D-League before I can think of going all the way with the Kings. It's just been a couple of months for me here, but it's been the best start that I could have imagined. It can only get better. Right now, I'm working on getting my game accustomed to the NBA style of play."
Bring up the topic of India, and Bhullar can go on for hours. Being close to his roots, he makes it a point to visit the Gurudwara. "My family is from Amritsar. I last visited India six years back. I really enjoyed the trip to the Golden Temple," said the Hindi movie buff.
Having Vivek Ranadive as the owner of the Sacramento Kings, Bhullar feels the Indian connect. "He's done so much when it comes to representing the Indian community in the NBA. The two of us get along very well. He treats me like a son," said the Toronto resident.
Being tall is something that runs in his family. His father is six-foot-five while his mother is five-foot-ten. His younger brother Tanveer has followed in his footsteps, playing college basketball for New Mexico State.
"The two of us have a huge responsibility when it comes to representing India. But we've shown Indians not only in India but across the world that it's very much possible to make it to the big league. All you need is to push yourself hard as well as the hunger to achieve your goal," said Bhullar.
KNOW BHULLAR
Date of birth: December 2, 1992
Height: 7 ft 5 in
Weight: 161 kg
Team: Reno Bighorns (D-League)
On February 22, 2015, Bhullar recorded his first career triple-double with 26 points, 17 rebounds and 11 blocked shots against the Los Angeles D-Fenders
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