Sports
Sikh-Canadian Basketball Star Sim Singh Bhullar Signs Up With NBA For Sacramento Kings
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sacramento, California, USA
Sikh-Canadian Sim Singh Bhullar became the first player from the subcontinent to sign a contract with an NBA (National Basketball Association) team Friday, August 15, 2014, inking a deal to join the Sacramento Kings in training camp.
Terms of the contract were not disclosed.
"I've long believed that India is the next great frontier for the NBA, and adding a talented player like Sim only underscores the exponential growth basketball has experienced in that nation,'' said Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, the league's first Indian-born majority owner.
"While Sim is the first player of Indian descent to sign with an NBA franchise, he represents one of many that will emerge from that region as the game continues to garner more attention and generate ever-increasing passion among a new generation of Indian fans.''
The 7-foot-5, 360-pound Sim Bhullar was born in Toronto and played two seasons for New Mexico State, where he averaged 10.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.9 blocks. He twice earned Western Athletic Conference tournament MVP honours and led the Aggies to back-to-back NCAA tournaments.
Undrafted this spring, Sim was part of the Kings team that won the NBA's summer league tournament in Las Vegas last month. He will compete for a spot in training camp behind centre DeMarcus Cousins and could be a candidate to join the franchise's NBA Development League affiliate in Reno, Nevada, where he could have more time to develop his skills.
[Courtesy: Associated Press. Edited for sikhchic.com]
August 16, 2014
Conversation about this article
1: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), August 17, 2014, 2:18 AM.
Sim has grown well. Reminds me of a friend's daughter who is 6' plus and the mother was rather worried with her impossible height, and said "Don't worry ji, she'll outgrow it". Looks like Sim has some more room to grow skywards.