The Story of Nav Bhatia

Basketball is a truly American game that has gained global strength and participation with unique stories, including the story of Nav Bhatia.

This man’s name is exactly what you expect, it’s of Indian origin, and he is a man that faced challenges in his native land in the 1980s. The story takes you from the grim political environment in India to becoming a fan that is now part of the basketball Hall of Fame. Let’s take a deeper dive into this intriguing story and see if we can warm your heart with a story that sounds like it belongs in the early 1900s.

An Escape to Canada

Younger generations can sit around and listen to their grandparents and great-grandparents talk about the troubles in Europe during the 1930s and 1940s, which caused them to come to America. The political troubles that caused many Europeans to leave and come to this country during those decades show themselves in other areas of the world still today. Such is the start of the story of Nav Bhatia.

The anti-Sikh riots in the early 1980s caused Nav to seek better opportunities and a country that wasn’t in turmoil. Nav, a mechanical engineer, sought to make his home in Canada and build a life there. Unfortunately, he had a hard time finding work as a mechanical engineer, possibly because of his appearance with his long beard and turban, but that didn’t stop him from making a life in Canada.

Pulling Himself Up by His Bootstraps

Another part of the story of Nav Bhatia that we would associate with what happened to many people that came to America hoping for an opportunity is the ideal of hard work paying off. Older generations believed they could be successful if they simply put in an honest day’s work and continued to work hard. The same is true of Bhatia, who found a job as a car salesman when he wasn’t able to find work as a mechanical engineer.

His role as a car salesman began in 1984, long before this story gained any NBA ties, and he quickly became one of the best salesmen at his dealership. In fact, he sold 127 cars in the first 90 days he was at the dealership, which was an incredible record for the time. This success was noticed, and he was soon promoted to the General Manager role at a larger dealership on the other side of town.

Facing Adversity and Creating Inclusion

If finding a job as a mechanical engineer was hard to accomplish because of his appearance, leading employees while wearing the beard ad turban would also prove to e difficult. While some of his subordinates didn’t accept Bhatia as their leader, he proved himself to them and improved the way his new dealership did business. His ideas and transformations for the business allowed him to invest in the dealership and earn enough money to buy not only the dealership he was currently running but the first one he had worked at as well.

A New Passion Emerges

As the owner of two dealerships in Canada, Nav now had the financial stability to pursue other passions and allowed him to enjoy the sport of basketball. It was at this time that the Toronto Raptors were becoming part of the NBA with the 1995 expansion, and Bhatia became one of the first season ticket holders to games. Unlike some of his wealthy peers, the seats that Bhatia purchased would be filled for every home game as he and his wife rarely ever missed a game.

The Loud Guy in the Stands

Most NBA fans know of the history of Spike Lee at New York Knicks games, and when it comes to the Toronto Raptors, Nav Bhatia is in a similar category. He is often the loudest guy in the arena, which eventually gave him the reputation of being a superfan for the team. After several seasons of support and attendance, then GM Isiah Thomas gave Nav this new title at center court during a game in the 1998 season. Of course, being loud isn’t the only reason why the Raptors have made Nav their superfan or why he was honored in this way.

Giving Back to the Community

Bhatia attends every home game for the Toronto Raptors, but today, you can often find him surrounded by other fans that are his guests for the games. It has been reported that he spends upwards of $300,000 annually to send thousands of kids to the Raptors’ games. He doesn’t focus on sending only one group of kids; he promotes diversity in many ways.

He will often have kids from very different backgrounds sitting next to each other during the game and encourage them to get to know each other. You could look around at these games and find fans that are black, white, brown, rich, poor, Christian, Muslim, and of other diverse backgrounds sitting together, enjoying the game as they cheer on their favorite team.

An NBA Title and a Truly Wonderful Finish to Our Story

After thirteen losing seasons, blizzards, blackouts, and a team that didn’t seem to be going anywhere, the Toronto Raptors finally put it all together and won the NBA title in 2018. During this long run of losing records, Bhatia never missed a game and gave the team his unwavering support. For this dedication and loyalty, Nav was the first-ever superfan to receive an official championship ring.

His story could end there, but it doesn’t. The NBA Hall of Fame found it appropriate to induct Nav Bhatia into the Hall of Fame. He is the first and only fan inducted into the hall and to receive this honor. During his life in Canada, Nav has been an unwavering example of inclusion and dedication to show that people from all backgrounds can find success and make a huge difference in the world.

Today, Bhatia still wears his beard and turban and uses them as symbols for the foundations he has begun, which help to bring basketball to the communities in the Toronto area.