ON August 15, the Sacramento Kings officially announced they have signed center Sim Bhullar. Signing Bhullar marked the first player of Indian descent to sign with an NBA team. The 7-foot-5, 360-pound center was a member of the Sacramento Kings team that won the 2014 Samsung NBA Summer League title in Las Vegas.

In his two seasons at New Mexico State, the Aggies standout averaged 10.2 points (.633 FG%, .496 FT%), 7.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 2.9 blocks and 25.3 minutes per game in 65 career games. Bhullar was a two-time Western Athletic Conference Tournament MVP, helping the school reach the NCAA Tournament in 2013 and 2014. As a freshman, he was named WAC Freshman of the Year after accruing averages of 10.1 points (.621 FG%, .465 FT%), 6.7 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 2.4 blocks and 24.4 minutes per game for the Aggies. He set a single-season school record for most blocked shots with 85 and his .621 field goal percentage ranked fourth on the NMSU single-season list and first in the WAC in 2012-13.

“I’ve long believed that India is the next great frontier for the NBA, and adding a talented player like Sim only underscores the exponential growth basketball has experienced in that nation,” said Kings Owner Vivek Ranadivé. “While Sim is the first player of Indian descent to sign with an NBA franchise, he represents one of many that will emerge from that region as the game continues to garner more attention and generate ever-increasing passion among a new generation of Indian fans.”      

These announcement are just a few of several example of the Kings “NBA 3.0” philosophy, which focuses on using cutting-edge technologies to enhance the team and fan experience, acting as a positive agent for change in the community and expanding the team’s global brand. Since Ranadive purchased the Kings in March 2013, the Kings televised over 20 live games in India, launched a website in Hindi to connect with a rapidly growing Hindi-speaking fan base from around the world, sent the Sacramento Kings players and dancers to Mumbai, and signed the team’s first India-based sponsor.

ON Sunday, August 17, Sacramento Kings Major Owner Vivek Ranadive, the first Indian-born owner in NBA history, served as Grand Marshal for the world’s largest India Day Parade in New York City. The parade honors India’s Independence Day. Ranadive was asked to participate in the parade for his contributions an Indian-American that have enriched and inspired so many Indians in the United States and abroad.