"I don't smoke, I don't drink, I don't womanize. I Raptorize."
May 31, 2019 10:18 PM Subscribe
As the Toronto Raptors make it to the NBA finals this year, there's one clear breakout star -- the entire city has rallied around the team's biggest courtside fan. Of course, I mean Nav Bhatia. The turbaned, 60-something SIkh who has been to every single Raptors home game, never been late and never left early.
Nav Bhatia came to Canada fleeing violence in India in 1984. He began selling cars because prospective employers were too racist to let him use his engineering training. Then he set a sales record. Then he bought the dealership (and another one). Although he has never been late to a game, he needed the police to get him there one time.
After being named the official Superfan of the team and the South Asian ambassador for the league, Nav has been redoubling his efforts to use basketball to bring Toronto's multicultural communities together. He has helped the team celebrate the Sikh new year Baisakhi, and Diwali, as well as bringing thousands of kids from all cultures to games.
You can hear his story in his own words, if you prefer.
(Previously this playoffs: The shot.)
Nav Bhatia came to Canada fleeing violence in India in 1984. He began selling cars because prospective employers were too racist to let him use his engineering training. Then he set a sales record. Then he bought the dealership (and another one). Although he has never been late to a game, he needed the police to get him there one time.
After being named the official Superfan of the team and the South Asian ambassador for the league, Nav has been redoubling his efforts to use basketball to bring Toronto's multicultural communities together. He has helped the team celebrate the Sikh new year Baisakhi, and Diwali, as well as bringing thousands of kids from all cultures to games.
You can hear his story in his own words, if you prefer.
(Previously this playoffs: The shot.)
godammit raptors fans are fucking adorable and they havent had any really annoying players in recent history either. i'm glad my team has never had a rivalry with them because i can't imagine hating them. (except drake's whole nonsense schtick tho, that's pretty obnoxious.)
posted by wibari at 11:22 PM on May 31, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by wibari at 11:22 PM on May 31, 2019 [5 favorites]
you forgot the shawarmapoutine tag
posted by mannequito at 11:37 PM on May 31, 2019 [13 favorites]
posted by mannequito at 11:37 PM on May 31, 2019 [13 favorites]
And they say there’s no good left in this city anymore
posted by rodlymight at 11:40 PM on May 31, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by rodlymight at 11:40 PM on May 31, 2019 [2 favorites]
They could have a T-shirt that said "The Raptors" on the front and "Don't be Left Behind" on the back.
Which would be wrong because it mocks someone else's religion and would be divisive, but if it weren't for that it would be kind of fun.
posted by jamjam at 12:18 AM on June 1, 2019 [4 favorites]
Which would be wrong because it mocks someone else's religion and would be divisive, but if it weren't for that it would be kind of fun.
posted by jamjam at 12:18 AM on June 1, 2019 [4 favorites]
I love this story! As a New Zealander, who's country has one team in the Australian Basketball League, I am totally on the Raptors bandwagon!
posted by maupuia at 12:25 AM on June 1, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by maupuia at 12:25 AM on June 1, 2019 [4 favorites]
This is a great post and I'm glad you made it. Drake is fair weather as hell, this dude is the real deal.
posted by yeahwhatever at 1:07 AM on June 1, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by yeahwhatever at 1:07 AM on June 1, 2019 [4 favorites]
I’m loving the NBA posts as of late. Basketball has a lot of issues, but there are so many great stories to tell as well. (I guess this goes for a lot of things, however.)
posted by gucci mane at 1:15 AM on June 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by gucci mane at 1:15 AM on June 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
My God, I want to be this dude so I can hug myself.
Also, I hope his car sales go well enough that he buys the team.
posted by The Potate at 3:32 AM on June 1, 2019 [9 favorites]
Also, I hope his car sales go well enough that he buys the team.
posted by The Potate at 3:32 AM on June 1, 2019 [9 favorites]
Love this guy. More people like him everywhere please thanks.
posted by parki at 3:58 AM on June 1, 2019 [6 favorites]
posted by parki at 3:58 AM on June 1, 2019 [6 favorites]
“...He now spends $300,000 on tickets for kids – mostly from brown, immigrant families – to come to Raptors games. He does it to show them they belong.”
And he takes photos with fans from the other teams. This almost too wholesome.
posted by KGMoney at 5:51 AM on June 1, 2019 [17 favorites]
And he takes photos with fans from the other teams. This almost too wholesome.
posted by KGMoney at 5:51 AM on June 1, 2019 [17 favorites]
I occasionally wonder what it’s going to mean for Toronto, and maybe Canada, if (when, really) the Raptors win a championship before the Leafs. I think it’ll be pretty positive.
posted by mhoye at 5:58 AM on June 1, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by mhoye at 5:58 AM on June 1, 2019 [3 favorites]
We survived the Jays winning the World Series in ‘92 and ‘93, back to back. At this point I don’t think we’d survive the shift in world view if the Leafs won.
posted by warriorqueen at 6:51 AM on June 1, 2019 [8 favorites]
posted by warriorqueen at 6:51 AM on June 1, 2019 [8 favorites]
They could have a T-shirt that said "The Raptors" on the front and "Don't be Left Behind" on the back.
Raptor Rapture?
posted by pracowity at 8:08 AM on June 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
Raptor Rapture?
posted by pracowity at 8:08 AM on June 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
I occasionally wonder what it’s going to mean for Toronto, and maybe Canada, if (when, really) the Raptors win a championship before the Leafs.
Vancouver will probably have a riot -- just for appearances.
posted by philip-random at 8:20 AM on June 1, 2019 [5 favorites]
Vancouver will probably have a riot -- just for appearances.
posted by philip-random at 8:20 AM on June 1, 2019 [5 favorites]
I occasionally wonder what it’s going to mean for Toronto, and maybe Canada, if (when, really) the Raptors win a championship before the Leafs.
The Leafs have won championships. Just not in my half century lifetime.
posted by srboisvert at 8:40 AM on June 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
The Leafs have won championships. Just not in my half century lifetime.
posted by srboisvert at 8:40 AM on June 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
Between this guy and Harnarayan Singh, the future of Canadian sports looks exuberantly South Asian.
posted by ryanshepard at 8:54 AM on June 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by ryanshepard at 8:54 AM on June 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
A couple of my friends have run into Nav on the street and taken photos with him. Guy is such a fan he has his own fans.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:50 AM on June 1, 2019 [10 favorites]
posted by jacquilynne at 9:50 AM on June 1, 2019 [10 favorites]
Toronto is something more than 10% East Indian origin? It's mixed: English, "Canadian", Chinese, East Indian all about the same, and a long tail of others (Scotch and Irish next, I think). It's a little hard to count, because some people prefer to report one way and others report another (aka the lumpers and splitters problem). Also there are an increasing number of people who could have a bunch of origins. A lot of them will just say Canadian.
posted by bonehead at 10:00 AM on June 1, 2019
posted by bonehead at 10:00 AM on June 1, 2019
Toronto is something more than 10% East Indian origin?
2016 Census says over 643,000 for a CMA population of just over 5.8 million, so right around there.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 11:19 AM on June 1, 2019
2016 Census says over 643,000 for a CMA population of just over 5.8 million, so right around there.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 11:19 AM on June 1, 2019
this makes me want to move to Canada even more
posted by schwinggg! at 1:47 PM on June 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by schwinggg! at 1:47 PM on June 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
Thought he looked familiar, now I get it, I've seen his auto billboard on the QEW.
posted by ovvl at 2:41 PM on June 1, 2019
posted by ovvl at 2:41 PM on June 1, 2019
RAPTORS @superfan_nav The smile says it all. He hasn’t missed a single game in the team’s history. 24 years in the making. Champions.
Turban game strong.
posted by tonycpsu at 7:45 AM on June 14, 2019
Turban game strong.
posted by tonycpsu at 7:45 AM on June 14, 2019
I watched some of the game last night, and saw an ad featuring Nav, which is cool. I don't really understand how how the sport works so much, and the ending was very confusing and anticlimactic, but it was fun I guess.
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 7:53 AM on June 14, 2019
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 7:53 AM on June 14, 2019
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posted by praemunire at 11:08 PM on May 31, 2019 [6 favorites]