Sim Bhullar made history by becoming the first player of Indian descent to sign an NBA contract but he will have to wait more to make his much-awaited league debut as he did not get to play in what turned out to be Sacramento Kings' loss against Pelicans.
There was huge hype around Bhullar going into the game last night but going by team owner Vivek Ranadive, the 22-year-old center will get an opportunity to play during his 10-day contract period with the season-end approaching.
Bhullar, whose family migrated to Canada from Punjab, has already made waves in his blossoming career overcoming weight and height issues. Though he lost about 16kg to get in shape for NBA, the 7-foot-5-inch player still weighs little over 160kg.
The Toronto-born said he was nervous before entering the arena on the 'big day'.
"I didn't get to play but in the morning I was really nervous. It took me a while to settle down. In the warm-up, I couldn't stop thinking about that 'it is my first NBA game, all the hard work of years has finally paid off'. The last few days have been crazy," said Bhullar from Sacramento, California.
He had been playing in the NBA development league for the Reno Bighorns, who are an affiliate of Sacramento Kings.
Not long ago he was at the college level representing New Mexico State. What did he do in the transition period?
"NBA is a hard league to get into. The aim is to get better day by day. Reaching the level where I am at was hard. For me, it was mostly about getting my body weight down, more like an NBA player, like an athlete. I feel I run quicker now, running up and down faster, the jump is higher too," he said.
