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Sikh-Canadian Businessman Nav Bhatia First Fan To Ever Be Honoured At Basketball Hall Of Fame
The turbaned Bhatia has been immortalized in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. He is officially the first fan to be honored at the Basketball HOF, having attended and sat courtside at nearly every single Raptors home game since the franchise’s inception in 1995.
TORONTO – Sikh-Canadian businessman and Toronto Raptors Superfan Nav Bhatia Is the first Fan ever to be honored at Basketball Hall of Fame
The turbaned Bhatia has been immortalized in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. He is officially the first fan to be honored at the Basketball HOF, having attended and sat courtside at nearly every single Raptors home game since the franchise’s inception in 1995.
Over the years, Bhatia has become a staple in the Toronto homecourt and an integral part of the city’s community. He took to social media and stated, “In the greatest building basketball has, the name Superfan Nav Bhatia will be immortalized. There is now a turban and the first fan honoured within Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. I am overcome with emotions today.”
Prior to the award, Bhatia earned himself his own spot at the Raptors’ 2019 championship parade, as well as his own custom championship ring. Now that he has been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, he will have an additional piece of bling to commemorate the moment.
Bhatia moved to Canada from India in 1984 but faced many challenges working in the field of mechanical engineering as an immigrant. However, despite all odds, he was able to forge a successful career path in auto sales, later becoming one of the GTA’s most successful car dealers.
In 2018, Bhatia founded his own organization, the Nav Bhatia Superfan Foundation, aimed at uniting people through the game of basketball. The foundation helps to build and refurbish courts across Canada with the support of the MLSE Foundation. The goal of the foundation is to ensure that children of all backgrounds can come together and play the sport that Bhatia has fallen in love with over the years.
It was a strange 2020-21 NBA season for Toronto Raptors fans who were forced to watch their team from afar, but Bhatia’s induction is reason for Raptors fans and the city to cheer.
Bhatia has attended every Raptors game since the team first opened its doors at the Skydome in 1995. He's become an icon off the court for Toronto, always sitting in his courtside seats just under one of the nets. In a March 2020 Instagram Live Giannis Antetokounmpo jokingly called Bhatia the most annoying Raptors fan when Drake popped on the stream to ask a question.
Now, after Toronto awarded Bhatia with a 2019 championship ring, the Raptors superfan has a beautiful Basketball Hall of Fame ring to add to his collection.
