NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – Sim Bhullar knows it is going to be a tall order but the first NBA player of Indian descent believes that, like Yao Ming in China, he can trigger basketball frenzy in the country his parents left before he was born.
Former Houston Rockets center Yao, an eight-time All-Star, triggered NBA-mania in China after being selected first overall in the 2002 draft and went on to become his country’s wealthiest and most recognisable athlete.
That is unlikely to happen to Toronto-born Bhullar, who at 7ft 5in (2.26 metres) is an inch shorter than Yao.
Bhullar, who was not drafted, signed just a 10-day contract with Sacramento Kings last month and played only three games before embarking on a tour of India, where basketball is much less popular than it was in China pre-Yao.
Still, as he conducts basketball clinics in cities across the country, Bhullar is drawing inspiration from the former Houston Rocket in his bid to change a sporting landscape where all other sports play very much second fiddle to cricket.
