SACRAMENTO Kings General Manager Pete D’Alessandro announced on Thursday that they have signed Sim Bhullar to a 10-day contract. Bhullar becomes the first player of Indian descent to be on an NBA team’s regular season roster.
Born in Toronto, Bhullar became the first player of Indian descent to sign with an NBA team when he inked a contract with the Kings on August 15, 2014. The 7-foot-5, 360-pound center was a member of the Kings squad that captured the 2014 Samsung NBA Summer League title in Las Vegas.
Bhullar played for the Kings D-League affiliate Reno Bighorns and averaged 10.3 points (.727 FG%, .600 FT%), 8.8 rebounds, 3.9 blocks and 25.8 minutes per game in 39 games, of which he started 17. He led the D-League in field goal percentage and blocks per game. Bhullar recorded 11 double-doubles this season and had a triple-double with 26 points (12-15 FG, 2-5 FT), 17 rebounds and 11 blocks on February 22 versus the L.A. Defenders.
On February 26, Bhullar became the first NBA D-League player to make a guest appearance on a late night talk show when he joined the “The Late Late Show” with guest host Kunal Nayyar of “The Big Bang Theory.”
In his two seasons at New Mexico State, the Aggies standout averaged 10.2 points (.633 FG%, .496 FT%), 7.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 2.9 blocks and 25.3 minutes per game in 65 career games. Bhullar was a two-time Western Athletic Conference Tournament MVP, helping the school reach the NCAA Tournament in 2013 and 2014. As a freshman, he was named WAC Freshman of the Year after accruing averages of 10.1 points (.621 FG%, .465 FT%), 6.7 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and 24.4 minutes per game for the Aggies. He set a single-season school record for most blocked shots with 85 and his .621 field goal percentage ranked fourth on the NMSU single-season list and first in the WAC in 2012-13.
Kings Owner Vivek Ranadive purchased the Kings in March 2013. The Kings have since then televised over 20 live games in India, launched a website in Hindi to connect with a rapidly growing Hindi-speaking fan base from around the world, sent
the Sacramento Kings players and dancers to Mumbai, and signed the team’s first India-based sponsor.
YouTube videos:
- Sim Signs 10-Day Contract: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pXzyEkbJTA
- Sim’s Media Availability: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBErJESnRd0
- Sim’s Workout: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9JE663Kprw
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