Sim Bhullar

Gursimran "Sim" Bhullar (born December 2, 1992) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for New Mexico State University and is the first player of Indian descent to play in the NBA.

Bhullar originally committed to playing for Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, but decommitted in August 2011 to play for the New Mexico State Aggies. 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 was not prepared to do. Bhullar, however, was not able to play until the 2012–13 season because the NCAA 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 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.

After going undrafted in the 2014 NBA draft, Bhullar joined the Sacramento Kings for the 2014 NBA Summer League. On August 14, 2014, he signed with the Kings, becoming the first player of Indian descent to sign with an NBA team. However, he was later waived by the Kings on October 19, 2014. On November 2, 2014, he was acquired by the Reno Bighorns as an affiliate player. Bhullar made his D-League debut on December 6 with 4 points, 8 rebounds and 6 blocks in Reno's 141–140 loss to the Los Angeles D-Fenders. 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, becoming the first player of Indian descent to play in an NBA game. He scored his first two points on April 8 in a 91–103 loss to the Utah Jazz.

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

Bhullar's parents migrated to Canada from the state of Punjab in India. His father, Avtar, is 6 feet 5 inches (196 cm) and his mother, Varinder, is 5 feet 10 inches (178 cm). Neither parent had exposure to basketball until enrolling their sons into local youth basketball programs. Avtar himself grew up only playing kabaddi, a traditional Indian contact sport. Bhullar has an older sister, Avneet, and a younger brother, Tanveer, who stands at 7 feet 3 inches (221 cm) and plays college basketball for New Mexico State as a redshirted freshman.

He is the first player of Indian descent to play in the NBA.