Preseason action in the NBA has arrived, and for the first time, the NBA is playing games in India. This weekend, the Sacramento Kings and the Indiana Pacers are playing a back-to-back set against each other in Mumbai.
Although his Raptors are not included in the action — they’ll play their first preseason game in Japan this upcoming week — Superfan Nav Bhatia tagged along with the NBA on their trip to India.
Born and raised in Delhi before coming to Canada, Bhatia is one of the most prominent diehards across the league, and he chatted with NBA India on his love for basketball as well as his own hopes to continue growing the game in India. Of course, he make sure to wear his Raps love proudly in this one too.
This video is part of a running series; you can see more episodes on NBA India or Bhatia's Instagram page.
Currently, the only player of Indian descent to have played in the NBA is Sim Bhullar, who was born Canadian to Indian parents, in 2015. The Kings are owned by Indian-American businessman Vivek Ranadive and added Indo-Canadian coach Roy Rana to their bench this summer.
It’s always meaningful to continue growing the game in India and beyond, and it’s cool to see Bhatia involved with the NBA in these efforts as a global representative for not just Raptors fandom, but basketball as a whole.
The guy’s an absolute legend. Canada is proud to claim him!
