Sixteen seconds of history: Bhullar makes NBA debut

How much is 16 seconds? A helluva lot if you are Gursimran "Sim" Bhullar.

On Wednesday, the 23-year-old made history by becoming the first player of Indian descent to appear in an NBA game. No sooner did the Canada-born Punjabi make his way onto the court than the 16,770 spectators gave him a standing ovation. For the record, the Sacramento Kings beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-111.

Standing 7'5" and weighing 163 kg, Bhullar became the sixth-tallest player in NBA history. The Kings, owned by Mumbai-born business tycoon Vivek Ranadive, gave him a 10-day contract after his good showing for their Development League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns. He did not attempt a shot on his NBA debut, but his presence in the middle was nevertheless symbolic.

It was the moment he had been waiting for and Bhullar said he hoped he could help grow the game in India. "It was a great feeling and I'm happy to be kind of an ambassador. This is just the beginning. I really think today was the moment, the big moment for me. There is a lot more to go and hopefully I get another chance like that soon," he said. "Hopefully more kids growing up will see there's a player of Indian descent on the court and hopefully they can follow the game a bit more and grow passion for it to pursue it in future and we can get a couple more Indian NBA player," he added.

Results: LA Clippers 105 bt LA Lakers 100, Atlanta 96 bt Phoenix 69, Miami 105 bt Charlotte 100, Sacramento 116 bt Minnesota 111, New Orleans 103 bt Golden State 100, Oklahoma City 88 lost to San Antonio 113