Mississauga – A Raptors Superfan and a philanthropist – Nav Bhatia who came to Canada in 1984 after riots in Delhi, received a “very special ring,” on October 22 – the same day all the Raptor players also received it after winning the NBA championship. Bhatia was given that ring during a press conference in the presence of about 100 reporters. The Raptors president – Masai Ujiri – presented him the ring.
Bhatia says this has happened for the first time in the history of the game that “a non-player is given a player’s ring. It is very special. It has 645 diamonds, over 20 rubies, and 150 grams of gold.” It is one of the biggest rings ever made for players.
Talking about his early life, Bhatia said after coming from India, he settled in a house in Malton on a rent of $350 but was happy to be in a safe country. But getting a job was an ordeal.
He joined a car dealership as a salesman in Rexdale Hyundai but then people did not know much about Sikhs. He said “everyone made fun of me and called me names. Thus, I made a promise to myself that I’ll be better than good if I have to survive in this country. I sold 170 cars in three months which was a record at that time and still is.” Today he owns three of the most famous Hyundai dealerships in the country and employs 180 people.
However, his love for NBA Raptors started in 1995 when he says, his life was “comfortable” after being in Canada for 11 years. He said he started with two tickets and went to the game to enjoy as “I was working from eight in the morning till midnight.” He did not have any hobbies and so wished to experiment with this new game. Since then he has attended all their games and called it “most exciting.” He says in India cricket is followed like a religion and that was game he was exposed to there.
NEVER MISSED A GAME
Nav says, “24 years later, I’ve never missed a game, never been late, never left a game early, which is a record in the league itself.” During the 1998-99 season, the GM and the manager of Raptors at that time called him on the court and “made me superfan. He presented me a superfan jersey and all of a sudden I became the face of the Raptors.” He said in a 1000 games, he has been on the road and present during play-offs as well but never missed a home game. This year, in the history of NBA, Canada became the first country to “win the championship outside of USA and the only team among the nine to win it. Thus, since June, when we won the championship, the journey has been exciting.”
Talking about his Superfan Foundation, Bhatia said that for years he has been taking kids from mosques, gurdwaras and mandirs to the Raptors game. But about two years back some organizations contacted him such as United Way, Unicef, and World Vision. World Vision made Bhatia their global ambassador and came up with a project “that was closer of my heart.” In Faridkot – one of the poorest areas in Indian Punjab, girls after the age of 11 years stop going to schools after their menstruation starts due to lack of lavatories.
Therefore, he committed in November 2016 to World Vision to construct 100 washrooms in 33 different schools of the area. About 70 washrooms have already been constructed already, the rest will be finished by the end of this year. This will help girls to continue their education – and so the Superfan Foundation was started. Bhatia also intends to set up basketball courts to keep youth away from negativity.
He also talked about racism that he faced in basketball and mentioned especially a hate tweet he received from a Milwaukee resident for being a Sikh which went viral. However, he met that person, invited him on food and explained the teachings of Guru Nanek and Sikhs after which Bhatia says, that person apologized and became his friend. Today he is still involved in the game even at the expense of missing his wife’s birthdays and anniversaries but says his family understands his passion.