Sim Bhullar
Toronto 43° 39' 12.53" N, 79° 23' 2.16" W Sports and Athletics Olympic Athlete Sports Person
Sim Bhullar is a South Asian Canadian basketball player standing 7 feet 5 inches. Born in Toronto on December 2, 1992, he played centre for the New Mexico State University Aggies. [1] He recently gave up his final two seasons of college eligibility to declare his eligibility in the 2014 NBA Draft. [2] [3]
If Bhullar were to be drafted, he would not only be the tallest player in the NBA, but also the first South Asian to ever play as well. He currently plays for the Reno Bighorn.
Bhullar earned Most Valuable Player honors in both the 2013 and 2014 Western Athletic Conference tournaments. He led the Aggies to NCAA Tournament berths in both years. During the 2014 NCAA Tournament, Bhullar and the Aggies gave fourth seed San Diego State Aztecs a run for the money before losing in overtime. In two seasons at NMSU, he averaged 10.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game while shooting 64.8 percent from the field. He holds the school record for blocks in a season (101) and game (10).
Sim has a brother Tanveer who at 7 feet 3 inches. He also plays for the New Mexico State University Aggies. In the late 1980s, their parents emigrated to Toronto from Punjab in the late 1980s looking for a better life. Times were tough at that time. Their father Avtar worked in a gas station and spent years saving up to finally own a station himself. His wife, Varinder worked two factory jobs. Their earning was limited, but their household was supportive and caring.
Between the five members of the family, the Bhullars straddle 5 feet, 6 feet and 7 feet. Varinder is perhaps the shortest at 5feet 10 inches. Sister, Avneet (a law student in England) and father Avtar are 6 feet 5 inches. [4] Sim and Tanveer began playing basketball at Father Henry Carr Catholic Secondary School, Toronto. To maximize their basketball prowess, they moved from Canada to the United States. At Huntington Prep School, West Virginia, the Bhullars were accompanied by fellow Canadian Andrew Wiggins, the consensus number one pick in the 2014 NBA draft. [5]
After a season at Huntington Prep in which the school went 22-3 overall record and a number 12 national ranking in 2010-2011, Bhullar was a McDonald’s All-American nominee in 2011 and was an ESPN top 100 recruit. Before Huntington Prep, Bhullar spent two seasons at The Kiski School in Saltsburg, PA. In 2009-2010, he averaged nearly a triple-double with 16 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocks per game and was named the most improved player of the squad after helping Kiski to a 16-3 record. [6]
He enrolled on a scholarship at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, N.M in 2011. He was majoring in Sociology.
NBA
Chad Ford of ESPN only has Bhullar ranked 138th on his "big board" of possible draftees. The New York Times stated he "is poised to become the world's first prominent men's basketball player of Indian and Sikh descent." [7]
Sim Bhullar could put the NBA on the map in a country with a population of over a billion people, making him an intriguing professional prospect. "I know that if I'm drafted, I will be the first Indian ... it would be a great feeling," Bhullar said. "Hopefully I can make everyone proud. I have to keep working hard. Hopefully I will not only play in the NBA, but stay there for awhile. [8]