NBA Recruits First Indian Player

Canada-born Sam Bhullar has become the first player of Indian heritage to play professional basketball in the U.S. Bhullar, who is 7 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 360 pounds, signed a 10-day contract with the Sacramento Kings.

Sacramento Kings General Manager Pete D’Alessandro announced the promotion of Bhullar to the professional team for his role in the NBA Development League’s Reno Bighorns in Nevada, said The Indian Disapora. Players in the developmental league are appointed by professional teams. This allows them to hone their skills before playing for the big-league teams.

The move has gained international attention and is a great source of pride for Indians, who are already well established in the U.S. and Canada as doctors, lawyers, politicians, professors, IT specialists and restaurateurs—but not as professional athletes, said The Indian Diaspora. It also attests to the growing popularity of basketball among Indians in North America.

“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 Vivek Ranadivé, who has owned the Kings since 2013. He is also the founder and former CEO of TIBCO, a multi-million dollar entity specializing in infrastructure and business intelligence software, said The Indian Diaspora.

Ranadivé expects more Indian players to join the league in the ensuing years. “The game continues to garner more attention and generate ever-increasing passion among a new generation of Indian fans,” Ranadive added.

During the past NBA 2013-14 season, the Kings broadcast more than 20 live games in India, launched a website in Hindi, sent the Sacramento Kings players and dancers to Mumbai and signed the team’s first India-based sponsor, said The Indian Diaspora.

Prior to signing the NBA contract, Bhuller made an appearance on "The Late Late Show" with actor Kunal Nayyar of The Big Bang Theory. The guest spot marked the first time a member of the NBA D-League was featured on a late-night talk show, said The Indian Diaspora.

Ranadivé accompanied President Obama on his trip to India in January. "I saw this opportunity to be a part of history," said Ranadivé in Fortune.com. "As a boy from Mumbai who came to Boston as a teenager with $50 in his pocket, I owe everything to America. To visit the country of my birth with President Obama was a privilege and an honor."

Bhullar’s parents moved from India to Toronto three decades ago. He signed with the Reno Bighorns last year.