Gursimran Singh "Sim" Bhullar (born December 2, 1992) is a Canadian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for the

Tainan TSG GhostHawks The Tainan TSG GhostHawks ( zh, 臺南台鋼獵鷹) are a Taiwanese professional basketball team based in Tainan City, Taiwan. They have competed in the T1 League since the 2021–22 season, and play their home games at the Chia Nan University of ...

of the

T1 League The T1 League is a Taiwanese men's professional basketball league founded in 2021. It is the third professional basketball league in Taiwan after the Chinese Basketball Alliance (CBA) and the P. League+ (PLG). In the 2022–23 season, the T ...

. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for

New Mexico State University New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a public land-grant research university based primarily in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest public institution of higher education in New Mexico and one of the state's tw ...

and is the first player of Indian descent to play in the NBA. At 7'5", he also became the sixth-tallest player in NBA history, being tied with

Chuck Nevitt Charles Goodrich Nevitt (born June 13, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player, known primarily for his great height. At 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m), he played the center position throughout his nine-year career (1983, 1985–1 ...

and

Pavel Podkolzin Pavel Nikolaevitch Podkolzin (russian: Павел Николаевич Подкользин) (born 15 January 1985) is a Russian former professional basketball player. Formerly, he played in the NBA and the NBA Development League. He is a tal ...

for that record.

High school career

Born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Bhullar grew up in

Brampton Brampton ( or ) is a city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Brampton is a city in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a List of municipalities in Ontario#Lower-tier municipalities, lower-tier municipalit ...

and attended

Father Henry Carr Catholic Secondary School Father Henry Carr Catholic Secondary School (also referred to as Father Henry Carr, Henry Carr, FHC, FHCCSS, or Carr) is a Catholic high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is administered by the Toronto Catholic District School Board, former ...

Etobicoke Etobicoke (, ) is an administrative district of, and one of six municipalities amalgamated into, the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the city's west-end, Etobicoke was first settled by Europeans in the 1790s, and the municipalit ...

, Toronto before moving to

Saltsburg, Pennsylvania Saltsburg is a borough in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States. Its location is in western Pennsylvania, in the southwestern corner of Indiana County near its border with Westmoreland County. The town was based on the construction of salt ...

, to attend

The Kiski School , motto_translation = Guide Us Lord , address = 1888 Brett Lane , town = Saltsburg , state = Pennsylvania , zipcode = 15681-8951 , country = Uni ...

for the 2009–10 school year. That year, Bhullar averaged a near

triple-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...

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. At the end of November 2010, in the middle of Kiski's basketball season, Bhullar withdrew from Kiski and transferred to

Huntington Prep School Huntington Prep or Huntington St. Joseph Prep is a basketball-focused college preparatory school located in Huntington, West Virginia. Huntington Prep was originally unrelated to the public Huntington High School located in the same city, thoug ...

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

. At Huntington, Bhullar improved on his conditioning, dropping from to .

College career

Bhullar originally committed to playing for

Xavier University Xavier University ( ) is a private Jesuit university in Cincinnati and Evanston (Cincinnati), Ohio. It is the sixth-oldest Catholic and fourth-oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Xavier has an undergraduate enrollment of 4,860 studen ...

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, but decommitted in August 2011 to play for the

New Mexico State Aggies The New Mexico State University teams are called the Aggies, a nickname derived from the university's agricultural beginnings. The mascot is known as " Pistol Pete". NMSU's colors are crimson and white. Since 2005 the Aggies have competed in the ...

. 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. Bhullar, however, was not able to play until the 2012–13 season because the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

denied him an eligibility waiver and rejected the school's appeal. His brother, Tanveer, joined the team for the 2013–14 season, although he

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

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. 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. In April 2014, Bhullar declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final two years of college eligibility.

Professional career

Sacramento Kings and Reno Bighorns (2014–2015)

After going undrafted in the

2014 NBA draft The 2014 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2014, at the Barclays Center, Brooklyn National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. ...

, Bhullar joined the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

for the

2014 NBA Summer League The 2014 NBA Summer League consists of two pro basketball leagues organized by the NBA and the Orlando Magic just after the 2014 NBA Draft. Ten teams took part in the week-long summer league at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, from July 5 t ...

. On August 14, 2014, he signed with the Kings, becoming the first player of

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

descent to sign with an NBA team. However, he was waived by the Kings on October 19 after appearing in two preseason games. On November 2, 2014, he was acquired by the

Reno Bighorns Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

as an affiliate player of the Kings. 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 LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to: Science and technology * Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation * Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers * Level of significance, a measure of statistical significance ...

. On February 22, 2015, he recorded his first career triple-double with 26 points, 17 rebounds and 11 blocked shots against the D-Fenders. On April 2, 2015, Bhullar signed a 10-day contract with the Sacramento Kings. 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 The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

, becoming the first player of Indian descent to play in an NBA game. He scored his first two points on April 8 in a 103–91 loss to the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

. 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 The 2015 NBA Summer League consisted of three pro basketball leagues organized by the NBA: the Orlando Pro Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas Summer League. Ten teams participated in the week-long Orlando Pro Summer League a ...

. 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 The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

Raptors 905 (2015–2016)

On October 31, 2015, Bhullar was acquired by

Raptors 905 The Raptors 905 are a Canadian professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Mississauga, Ontario, and are affiliated with the Toronto Raptors. Raptors 905 began play in the 2015–16 season and play their home games at Paramount Fi ...

of the

. 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.

Dacin Tigers (2016–2017)

On August 26, 2016, Bhullar signed with the

Dacin Tigers The Dacin Tigers () was a semi-professional basketball club based in Taipei, Taiwan that plays in the Super Basketball League ( SBL). They won SBL championships in 2009 and 2017. On May 17, 2019, Dacin Engineering issued a statement that it wi ...

of the Taiwanese

Super Basketball League The Super Basketball League (超級籃球聯賽), often abbreviated as the SBL, is a semi-professional men's basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Taiwan. Current clubs Currently, there are four teams competing in the SBL. They are ...

Guangxi Rhino (2017)

On April 27, 2017, Bhullar signed with Guangxi Rhino of the National Basketball League, the second-tier league of China.

Hsinchu JKO Lioneers (2021–2022)

On October 22, 2021, Bhullar joined

Hsinchu JKO Lioneers Hsinchu JKO Lioneers (Chinese: 新竹街口攻城獅) is a professional basketball team based in Hsinchu County, Taiwan. They have been part of the P. League+ since the 2020–21 season. The Lioneers were one of the four teams of the inaugural ...

of the Taiwanese P. League+.

Tainan TSG GhostHawks (2022–present)

On December 16, 2022, Bhullar signed with

of the

Career statistics

NBA

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. Canada won the bronze medal after finishing with a 3–2 record. Bhullar then played for Canada in the

2011 FIBA Under-19 World Championship The 2011 FIBA Under-19 World Championship (Latvian: 2011. gada FIBA pasaules čempionāts līdz 19 gadu vecumam) was the 10th edition of the FIBA U19 World Championship, the biennial international men's youth basketball championship contested by ...

. In six games, he averaged 12.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Canada finished in 11th place with a 3–5 record.

Personal life

Bhullar's parents migrated to Canada from the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. His father, Avtar, is and his mother, Varinder, is . Neither parent had exposure to basketball until enrolling their sons into local youth basketball programs. Avtar himself grew up only playing

kabaddi Kabaddi is a contact team sport. Played between two teams of seven players, the objective of the game is for a single player on offence, referred to as a "raider", to run into the opposing team's half of the court, touch out as many of their ...

, a traditional Indian

contact sport Contact sports are sports that emphasize or require physical contact between players. Some sports, such as mixed martial arts, are scored on impacting an opponent, while others, including rugby football, gridiron football and Australian rules fo ...

. 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 and played

for both New Mexico State and, later,

Missouri State Missouri State University (MSU or MO State), formerly Southwest Missouri State University, is a public university in Springfield, Missouri. Founded in 1905 as the Fourth District Normal School, it is the state's second largest university by enr ...

.New Mexico State Sim also had a Job At Dunkin Donuts as a Teen.Athletics
/ref>

References

External links

NBA D-League profileNew Mexico bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhullar, Sim 1992 births Living people ASEAN Basketball League players Basketball players at the 2015 Pan American Games Basketball players from Toronto Canadian expatriate basketball people in Taiwan Canadian expatriate basketball people in the United States Canadian men's basketball players Canadian Sikhs Canadian sportspeople of Indian descent Centers (basketball) Medalists at the 2015 Pan American Games New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball players Pan American Games medalists in basketball Pan American Games silver medalists for Canada Punjabi people Raptors 905 players Reno Bighorns players Sacramento Kings players Undrafted National Basketball Association players Hsinchu JKO Lioneers players Yulon Luxgen Dinos players Dacin Tigers players Super Basketball League imports P. League+ imports Tainan TSG GhostHawks players

High school career

College career

Professional career

Sacramento Kings and Reno Bighorns (2014–2015)

Raptors 905 (2015–2016)

Dacin Tigers (2016–2017)

Guangxi Rhino (2017)

Hsinchu JKO Lioneers (2021–2022)

Tainan TSG GhostHawks (2022–present)

Career statistics

NBA

National team career

Personal life

See also

References

External links