Nav Bhatia

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]

Nav Bhatia
ਨਵ ਭਾਟੀਆ
Bhatia in 2019
Born (1951-07-09) July 9, 1951
New Delhi, Delhi, India
NationalityCanadian
EducationEngineering[1]
OccupationBusinessman
Years active1984–present
Known forRaptors Superfan
Websitenavbhatiasuperfan.com

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.
  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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