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Nav Bhatia

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Nav Bhatia
Portrait photograph of Bhatia wearing red at the Serbia vs. Canada 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup game
Bhatia in 2023
Born (1952-07-09) July 9, 1952 (age 72)
New Delhi, Delhi, India
NationalityCanadian
EducationMechanical engineering[1]
OccupationBusinessman
Years active1984–present
Known forSuperfan of the Toronto Raptors
Children1
AwardsTop 25 Canadian Immigrants Award
Websitenavbhatiasuperfan.com

Nav Bhatia (born July 9, 1951),[2][3] nicknamed the Raptors Superfan, is a Canadian businessman and superfan of the Toronto Raptors basketball team. He founded and currently runs the Superfan Foundation to help unite people through the love of the sport.

Bhatia has attended every Toronto Raptors home game since 1995, temporarily ending in 2020 when he could no longer attend home games in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Raptors' temporary relocation to Tampa, Florida. His 26-year 100 per cent Toronto home game attendance streak ended on December 10, 2021, when he was forced into isolation following a COVID-19 outbreak at an event he attended.[4] On June 19, 2018, Bhatia was named a recipient of the Top 25 Canadian Immigrants Award.[5]

Early life and career

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Bhatia was born in New Delhi and moved to Toronto in 1984 amid anti-Sikh riots in India.[6][7][8] He struggled to find work as a mechanical engineer and decided to work as a car salesman.[9][10] He achieved a record 127 car sales in three months and bought the dealership two years later.[11] Bhatia is the owner of one of the top-selling Hyundai car dealerships in Canada.[12][13]

Toronto Raptors superfan

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Bhatia is known for being the Raptors’ biggest fan,[14] having attended every Raptors home game in the franchise's 25-year history from 1995 to 2020,[15] until the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Raptors to temporarily play their 2020–2021 season in Tampa, Florida. His 26-year 100 per cent Toronto home game attendance streak finally ended on December 10, 2021, when he was forced into isolation due to an outbreak of COVID-19 at Masai Ujiri's Giants of Africa Gala, which he attended.[16]

After the Toronto Raptors won the NBA Championship during the 2018–2019 season, he became the first fan to receive an official NBA Championship ring.[17]

In 2020, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced that Bhatia would be one of the first fans memorialized in its new superfan gallery for their 2020 induction class.[18] He was officially honoured by the Hall of Fame on May 15, 2021, as part of their ceremonial induction weekend.[19]

In 2021, Bhatia was announced as the subject of both Superfan: The Nav Bhatia Story, a CBC Television documentary film which aired on December 3, 2021,[20] and Superfan, an upcoming Hollywood studio biopic slated to star Kal Penn as Bhatia.[21]

In 2023, the city of Mississauga awarded Bhatia the Key to the City.[22]

Bhatia is frequently invited to talk about basketball in the media.[23][24]

Philanthropy

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Bhatia founded the Superfan Foundation in 2018 as a way to bring people in Canada and around the world together through sport.[25] He spends $300K every year to send thousands of children to Raptors games.[26][27]

References

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  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. October 22, 2019. 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. ^ "Trent Jr., Barnes help Raptors hang on to beat Knicks in 1st absence of 'Superfan'". CBC.ca. December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  5. ^ Rosella, Louie. (July 13, 2018)."Car dealership owner, Raptors ‘superfan’ recognized as top Canadian immigrant". Mississauga.com. Retrieved on January 27, 2020
  6. ^ Cacciola, Scott (April 20, 2014). "Raptors Fan in Bad Times Tastes the Good". The New York Times. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  7. ^ "Nav Bhatia: Raptors Superfan & Top Auto Dealer". NSB.com. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  8. ^ "Nav Bhatia: Superfan, super Canadian". CanadianImmigrant.ca. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ "Raptors superfan brings story of success and diversity to St. John's". CBC News. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  11. ^ "How Raptors Superfan Nav Bhatia used sports to acclimate to Canada – Sportsnet.ca". www.sportsnet.ca. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  12. ^ "Meet the 'famous' Raptors superfan who happens to be a top Hyundai dealer". Automotive News Canada. January 18, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ "One of these guys is basketball's biggest superfan". BBC News. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  15. ^ "BBC Asian Network – Nihal, Nav Bhatia – Toronto Raptors Superfan". BBC. January 15, 2016. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  16. ^ "Trent Jr., Barnes help Raptors hang on to beat Knicks in 1st absence of 'Superfan'". CBC.ca. December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  17. ^ Jon Rumley (October 24, 2019). "Toronto Raptors Superfan Nav Bhatia Receives NBA Championship Ring". Huffington Post.
  18. ^ Amir Vera (February 15, 2020). "Toronto Raptors superfan Nav Bhatia to be in new gallery at the Basketball Hall of Fame". CNN.
  19. ^ Aaron Rose (May 17, 2020). "Raptors Superfan Becomes 1st Fan Inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame". SI.com.
  20. ^ Jenna Benchetrit, "Nav Bhatia's journey from newcomer to Raptors Superfan chronicled in new CBC doc". CBC News, December 3, 2021.
  21. ^ Matt Grobar, "Kal Penn To Produce & Star In Nav Bhatia Biopic ‘Superfan’ From Stampede Ventures". Deadline Hollywood, December 2, 2021.
  22. ^ "Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie presents Nav Bhatia with the Key to the City". City of Mississauga. December 14, 2023. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  23. ^ 'Superfan' Nav Bhatia on the Raptors' success, May 17, 2019, retrieved June 2, 2019
  24. ^ NBA TV Canada (February 28, 2019), Superfan Nav Bhatia Interviews The NBA's Rising Stars I NBA XL, retrieved June 2, 2019
  25. ^ "Nav Bhatia launches the Superfan Foundation". Toronto Sun. July 12, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  26. ^ Schray, Gabriel (May 27, 2019). "LISTEN: Touching Story of Raptors Superfan Nav Bhatia and Toronto". Midwest Sports Network. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  27. ^ "Nav Bhatia". Canadian Immigrant. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
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