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Nav Bhatia

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Nav Bhatia
ਨਵ ਭਾਟੀਆ
Portrait photograph of Bhatia wearing white at a Toronto Raptors basketball game in 2019.
Bhatia in 2019
Born (1951-07-09) July 9, 1951 (age 73)
New Delhi, Delhi, India
NationalityCanadian
EducationEngineering[1]
OccupationBusinessman
Years active1984–present
Known forRaptors Superfan
Websitenavbhatiasuperfan.com

Nav Bhatia (Punjabi: ਨਵ ਭਾਟੀਆ; born July 9, 1951),[2][3] or simply the Raptors Superfan, is a Canadian businessman and superfan for the Toronto Raptors basketball team. He currently runs the Superfan Foundation as a way to unite people through the love of the sport. He has attended every Toronto Raptors home game since 1995, declaring him to be a true Superfan. On June 19, 2018, Bhatia was named a recipient of the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) Top 25 Canadian Immigrants Award.[4]

Career

When Bhatia moved to Canada in 1984, fleeing violent persecution of Sikhs in India, he struggled to find work as a mechanical engineer and decided to work as a car salesman.[5][6] He achieved a record 127 car sales in 3 months and bought the dealership 2 years later.[7]

Bhatia is the owner of one of the top-selling Hyundai car dealerships in Canada[8] which has enabled him to amass a net worth of $50 million.[9]

He founded the Superfan Foundation in 2018 as a way to bring diverse people in Canada and around the world together through sport.[10] He spends $300K every year to send thousands of kids to Raptors games.[11][12]

After the Toronto Raptors won the NBA Championship during the 2018-2019 season, he became the first ever fan to receive a championship ring.[13]

In 2020, he was honoured by the Basketball Hall of Fame being one of the first fans memorialized in its new superfan gallery.[14]

Personal life

Bhatia is known for being the Raptors’ biggest fan,[15] having attended every Raptors home game in the franchise's 25-year history.[16] He is frequently invited to talk about basketball in the media.[17][18]

Bhatia is known also for his kind spirit and is known to spend his fortune on buying tickets for Raptors games for struggling children and Sikh children.

References

  1. ^ "Diversity Speaker Nav Bhatia | Raptors Superfan". National Speakers Bureau. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  2. ^ "The Masai Ujiri way raises the bar for NBA championship entry | The Star". thestar.com. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  3. ^ "The world is falling in love with Raptors 'Superfan' Nav Bhatia, here's why". Toronto. May 29, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  4. ^ Rosella, Louie. (2018-07-13)."Car dealership owner, Raptors ‘superfan’ recognized as top Canadian immigrant". Mississauga.com. Retrieved on 2020-01-27
  5. ^ "Meet Raptors superfan Nav Bhatia: 'I don't drink. I don't smoke. I don't womanize. I just Raptorize.'". USA TODAY. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  6. ^ "Raptors superfan brings story of success and diversity to St. John's". CBC News. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  7. ^ "How Raptors Superfan Nav Bhatia used sports to acclimate to Canada - Sportsnet.ca". www.sportsnet.ca. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  8. ^ "Meet the 'famous' Raptors superfan who happens to be a top Hyundai dealer". Automotive News Canada. January 18, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  9. ^ Dodge, Sam (May 30, 2019). "Nav Bhatia, Raptors Superfan's Net Worth: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  10. ^ SUN, Toronto; Email, Share Nav Bhatia launches the Superfan Foundation Tumblr Pinterest Google Plus Reddit LinkedIn; Tumblr; Pinterest; Plus, Google; Reddit; LinkedIn; Email (July 12, 2018). "Nav Bhatia launches the Superfan Foundation | Toronto Sun". Retrieved June 2, 2019. {{cite web}}: |last2= has generic name (help)
  11. ^ Schray, Gabriel (May 27, 2019). "LISTEN: Touching Story of Raptors Superfan Nav Bhatia and Toronto". Midwest Sports Network. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  12. ^ "Nav Bhatia". Canadian Immigrant. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  13. ^ Jon Rumley (October 24, 2019). "Toronto Raptors Superfan Nav Bhatia Receives NBA Championship Ring". Huffington Post.
  14. ^ Amir Vera (February 15, 2020). "Toronto Raptors superfan Nav Bhatia to be in new gallery at the Basketball Hall of Fame". CNN.
  15. ^ "One of these guys is basketball's biggest superfan". BBC News. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  16. ^ "BBC Asian Network - Nihal, Nav Bhatia - Toronto Raptors Superfan". BBC. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  17. ^ 'Superfan' Nav Bhatia on the Raptors' success, May 17, 2019, retrieved June 2, 2019
  18. ^ NBA TV Canada (February 28, 2019), Superfan Nav Bhatia Interviews The NBA's Rising Stars I NBA XL, retrieved June 2, 2019
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