Sim Bhullar
Gursimran Singh "Sim" Bhullar (born December 2, 1992) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Tainan TSG GhostHawks of the T1 League. He played college basketball for New Mexico State University[1][2] and is the first player of Indian descent to play in the NBA.[3] At 7'5", he also became the sixth-tallest player in NBA history, being tied with Chuck Nevitt and Pavel Podkolzin for that record.[4]
Sim Bhullar with the Hsinchu JKO Lioneers in 2022 | |
| No. 35 – Tainan TSG GhostHawks | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| League | T1 League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | December 2, 1992 Toronto, Ontario |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Listed height | 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m) |
| Listed weight | 360 lb (163 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | |
| College | New Mexico State (2012–2014) |
| NBA draft | 2014 / Undrafted |
| Playing career | 2014–present |
| Career history | |
| 2014–2015 | Reno Bighorns |
| 2015 | Sacramento Kings |
| 2015–2016 | Raptors 905 |
| 2016–2017 | Dacin Tigers |
| 2017 | Guangxi Rhino |
| 2017–2018 | Dacin Tigers |
| 2019 | Taipei Fubon Braves |
| 2020 | Yulon Luxgen Dinos |
| 2021–2022 | Hsinchu JKO Lioneers |
| 2022–present | Tainan TSG GhostHawks |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
High school career
Born in Toronto, Ontario, Bhullar grew up in Brampton[5] and attended Father Henry Carr Catholic Secondary School in Etobicoke, Toronto before moving to Saltsburg, Pennsylvania, to attend The Kiski School for the 2009–10 school year.[6] That year, Bhullar averaged a near triple-double for the Kiski basketball team with 16 points, 14 rebounds, and eight blocks per game. At the FIBA Americas Under-18 tournament in the summer of 2010, Bhullar impressed with his size and performance. In a loss to the United States, Bhullar came off the bench to record 14 points, four rebounds and three blocks.[7]
At the end of November 2010, in the middle of Kiski's basketball season, Bhullar withdrew from Kiski[6] and transferred to Huntington Prep School in West Virginia.[8] At Huntington, Bhullar improved on his conditioning, dropping from 367 pounds (166 kg) to 330 pounds (150 kg).[9]
College career
Bhullar originally committed to playing for Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, but decommitted in August 2011 to play for the New Mexico State Aggies. He turned down Xavier because he learned he was not qualified to immediately play and would have to pay the full $42,000-a-year tuition, which his family refused to do.[10] Bhullar, however, was not able to play until the 2012–13 season because the NCAA denied him an eligibility waiver and rejected the school's appeal.[11] His brother, Tanveer, joined the team for the 2013–14 season, although he redshirted his freshman year.
During his freshman season, Bhullar played 24.4 minutes per game, averaging 10.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game. In his sophomore season, he improved to 26.3 minutes per game, with 10.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks per game.[12] He is a two-time WAC tournament MVP, winning the award in 2013 and 2014, where he also helped New Mexico State reach the NCAA tournament.[13]
In April 2014, Bhullar declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final two years of college eligibility.[14]
Professional career
Sacramento Kings and Reno Bighorns (2014–2015)
After going undrafted in the 2014 NBA draft, Bhullar joined the Sacramento Kings for the 2014 NBA Summer League.[15] On August 14, 2014, he signed with the Kings, becoming the first player of Indian descent to sign with an NBA team.[16] However, he was waived by the Kings on October 19 after appearing in two preseason games.[17] On November 2, 2014, he was acquired by the Reno Bighorns of the NBA Development League as an affiliate player of the Kings.[18] Bhullar made his D-League debut on December 6 and recorded four points, eight rebounds and six blocks in Reno's 141–140 loss to the Los Angeles D-Fenders.[19][20] On February 22, 2015, he recorded his first career triple-double with 26 points, 17 rebounds and 11 blocked shots against the D-Fenders.[21]
On April 2, 2015, Bhullar signed a 10-day contract with the Sacramento Kings.[22] Five days later, he made history when he checked in the fourth quarter for the final 16.1 seconds of the Kings' 116–111 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, becoming the first player of Indian descent to play in an NBA game.[23] He scored his first two points on April 8 in a 103–91 loss to the Utah Jazz.[24] Bhullar was not retained by the Kings following the expiration of his 10-day contract.
In July 2015, Bhullar re-joined the Kings for the 2015 NBA Summer League.[25] After appearing in just one game for the Kings, Bhullar left the team in order to join the Canadian national team for the Pan Am Games.[26]
Raptors 905 (2015–2016)
On October 31, 2015, Bhullar was acquired by Raptors 905 of the NBA Development League.[27] In 39 games for Raptors 905 in 2015–16, he averaged 9.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.3 blocks per game.[28]
Dacin Tigers (2016–2017)
On August 26, 2016, Bhullar signed with the Dacin Tigers of the Taiwanese Super Basketball League.[29]
Guangxi Rhino (2017)
On April 27, 2017, Bhullar signed with Guangxi Rhino of the National Basketball League, the second-tier league of China.[30]
Hsinchu JKO Lioneers (2021–2022)
On October 22, 2021, Bhullar joined Hsinchu JKO Lioneers of the Taiwanese P. League+.[31]
Tainan TSG GhostHawks (2022–present)
On December 16, 2022, Bhullar signed with Tainan TSG GhostHawks of the T1 League.[32]
Career statistics
NBA
| Season | Team | G | GS | MP | FG% | 3P% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | Sacramento | 3 | 0 | 1.0 | .500 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.7 | ||
| Career | 3 | 0 | 1.0 | .500 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.7 |
National team career
Bhullar played for Canada in the 2010 FIBA Americas U18 Championship where he averaged 6.0 points and 3.8 rebounds in five games.[33] Canada won the bronze medal after finishing with a 3–2 record.[34] Bhullar then played for Canada in the 2011 FIBA Under-19 World Championship. In six games, he averaged 12.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.[35] Canada finished in 11th place with a 3–5 record.[36]
Personal life
Bhullar's parents migrated to Canada from the state of Punjab in India. His father, Avtar, is 6 feet 4 inches (193 cm) and his mother, Varinder, is 5 feet 10 inches (178 cm). Neither parent had exposure to basketball until enrolling their sons into local youth basketball programs. Avtar himself grew up only playing kabaddi, a traditional Indian contact sport.[7] Bhullar had a normal life as a teen having a job at 16 working at Dunkin’ Donuts. Bhullar has an older sister, Avneet, and a younger brother, Tanveer, who stands at 7 feet 2 inches (218 cm) and played college basketball for both New Mexico State and, later, Missouri State.[37]
See also
References
- ^ "#2 Sim Bhullar". nmstatesports.com. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ Sharda Ugra (July 22, 2014). "India, the Next Great Basketball Superpower". The Atlantic. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ "Sim Bhullar becomes NBA's first player of Indian descent". BBC Sport. BBC News. April 8, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ Des Bieler (April 8, 2015). "Gigantic Sim Bhullar becomes the first player of Indian descent to appear in an NBA game". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ Brady, Rachel (March 19, 2014). "Towering Canadian brothers on track to make basketball history". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ a b Mike White (December 2, 2010). "Lineup suddenly shrinks for Kiski School". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ a b Luke Winn (July 1, 2010). "Behemoth Sim Bhullar a 7–4 showstopper at FIBA tourney". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ Grant Taylor. "Huntington Prep brings in 7–4 player". The Herald-Dispatch. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ Pete Thamel (July 16, 2011). "So Much Potential, So Far to Go for Young Basketball Prospect". The New York Times. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ Diamond Leung (August 24, 2011). "7-foot-5 Sim Bhullar to enroll at NMSU". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ "Aggies working through growing pains". Fox Sports Arizona. archive.is. December 15, 2011. Archived from the original on July 31, 2012. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Sim Bhullar Stats, News, Videos, Highlights, Pictures, Bio – New Mexico State Aggies". ESPN. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ Raphielle Johnson (April 16, 2014). "Report: New Mexico State's Sim Bhullar to enter 2014 NBA Draft | CollegeBasketballTalk". Bleacher Report. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ Raphielle Johnson (April 16, 2014). "Report: New Mexico State's Sim Bhullar to enter 2014 NBA Draft | CollegeBasketballTalk". NBC Sports. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ . Las Cruces Sun-News. Lcsun-news.com. June 27, 2014. Archived from the original on July 31, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ^ "Kings Sign Center Sim Bhullar". NBA.com. August 14, 2014. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ Kings Waive Bhullar, Burton, Wear
- ^ BIGHORNS FINALIZE TRAINING CAMP ROSTER AFTER D-LEAGUE DRAFT 2014-11-06 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ Heslip, Bighorns Fall In L.A. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ "Sim Bhullar blocks six shots in his Reno Bighorns debut!". YouTube. December 6, 2014. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ Bhullar Shines, But Bighorns Fall To D-Fenders Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ "Kings Sign Sim Bhullar to a 10-Day Contract". NBA.com. April 2, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ "Kings hold off Timberwolves behind Casspi". NBA.com. April 7, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ "Jazz rally for 103–91 win over Kings, Favors scores 18". NBA.com. April 8, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ Get To Know: Kings Summer League Team
- ^ Bighorns' Bhullar to Play for Team Canada Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ "Raptors 905 Announce NBA D-League Drafts Results, Training Camp Roster". Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ Sim Bhullar D-League Stats Basketball Reference Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ "Sim Bhullar is a newcomer at Dacin Tigers". Asia-Basket.com. August 26, 2016. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ "Sim Bhullar inks with Guangxi in Chinese NBL". Sportando. April 27, 2017. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
- ^ 黃及人 (2021-10-22). "真正獅子王跳槽 布拉改名「辛巴」加盟攻城獅". 中國時報. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
- ^ "才宣布離隊10分鐘 布拉加盟獵鷹今晚將出戰「魔獸」霍華德". Liberty Times Net. December 16, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
- ^ Sim Bhullar's profile | 2010 FIBA Americas U18 Championship Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ 2010 FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Men Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ Sim Bhullar's profile | 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship In Latvia 2015-04-12 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ New Mexico State Sim also had a Job At Dunkin Donuts as a Teen.Athletics
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com
- NBA D-League profile
- New Mexico bio