BackSim Bhullar: Too big to miss
The 7ft, 5 inches Bhullar becomes the first Indian-origin cager to get a feel of the NBA
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The week that’s just gone by has been more about symbolism and less about sport. So it was fitting that Sim Bhullar’s much anticipated National Basketball Association (NBA) debut on 7 April in the US lasted all of 16 seconds.
Bhullar had been sitting on the bench for two games. With the clock ticking away in the game against Minnesota Timberwolves and on his 10-day contract with the Sacramento Kings, the 22-year-old was finally brought on to play with 16.1 seconds to go in the fourth and final quarter.
There he was, the 7ft, 5 inches Bhullar, hulking over his teammates and rivals, in a white Kings jersey; the first player of Indian descent to play in the NBA. That’s always been the headline. The Kings winning 116-111 on their home turf—the Sleep Train Arena in California, US—is only a footnote.
No one was fooled by the 10-day contract given to Bhullar by Kings’ Indian owner Vivek Ranadivé. The team, which is currently 13th in the 15-team Western Conference, is out of contention for the play-offs and bringing Bhullar on would not only rekindle interest in the franchise but open the door to a whole new demographic. The NBA hasn’t been shy about hard-selling basketball to India. The social media publicity Bhullar has received has brought him on par with fellow Asian stars. The 22-year-old centre was branded the new Yao Ming (the Chinese basketball player) or alternatively hash-tagged “simsanity", drawing comparisons with Jeremy “Linsanity" Lin, the first basketball player of Taiwanese descent.
But there’s a reason the media still followed Bhullar’s progress with such fervour. He is, literally, too big to miss. The tale of a big, shy, rather sluggish boy of Indian descent trying to make it big in that most American of games is still intriguing.
“It’s a great feeling for me, just that role for the community," said Bhullar after the game. “Being recognized around the world is great. This is just the beginning. Today was the moment, the big moment for me. There is a lot more to go and, hopefully, I get another chance like that soon.
“Hopefully, more kids growing up will see there is a player of Indian descent playing in the NBA and hopefully they can follow the game a bit more and grow passion for it to pursue it in future, and hopefully we get a couple of more Indian NBA players," said Bhullar.
Bhullar has been a fixture in Kings’ D-League team, the Reno Bighorns. Their work ethic and fast-paced style has got the centre player in better shape. He reportedly dropped over 40 pounds (18kg) last season. But at 360 pounds, he is still too heavy for the NBA, and like other much taller players, he struggles to keep pace.
Bhullar is honest with his assessment: “The big things for me were just getting my body right and getting my weight down, and looking more like an NBA player, an athlete. I mean, if I could accomplish those things, I will become a lot quicker, be able to run up and down a lot more and just jump higher and stuff. The rest of my game has really improved."
The way Bhullar has started, hype is bound to precede him. He is already a great story; what remains to be seen is whether he can be as great a player too.
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