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Sim Bhullar Is Now NBA's Biggest, First Indian-Descent Player

A late deal gives Sim Bhullar the chance to make history twice -- as the league's biggest player, and the very first of Indian descent.
Image: Sim Bhullar
New Mexico State's Sim Bhullar yells from the bench against San Diego State in the second half during the second round of the NCAA men's college basketball tournament in Spokane, Wash., Thursday, March 20, 2014. Elaine Thompson / AP, file

New Mexico State's Sim Bhullar wasn't picked in last week's NBA draft, but he has now reportedly signed a summer contract with the Sacramento Kings, making the 7'5", 360-pound center the biggest player in the league and the first player of Indian descent to make it to the NBA.

21-year-old Bhullar made waves in college, averaging 10.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks per game in his two years with the Aggies.

Along with his brother Tanveer, who is 7'2", Bhullar’s basketball career has been watched by scouts and the sports media since he was a teenager in his native Canada. The son of immigrants from the Indian state of Punjab, Bhullar’s height is in his genes-- his father is 6'5" and his mother is 5'10".

In an interview with his hometown Toronto paper The Globe and Mail earlier this month, Bhullar explained why he decided to leave school after his sophomore season to enter the draft.

“Guys my size don’t have very long careers and you have to take advantage of it and do the best you can with the time you have to play,” Bhullar noted to the Globe and Mail. “I didn’t want to get hurt in another college season and ruin my chances. And I’m not the kind of guy that’s doing it just to make money right away; I just want to play at the highest level.”

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