April 02--The Sacramento Kings are breaking new ground as the season comes to a close, signing Sim Bhullar to a 10-day contract, making him the first NBA player of Indian descent.
Sacramento signed the 7-foot-5, 360-pound center out of New Mexico State on Wednesday, calling him up from the Reno Bighorns, the Kings' developmental league affiliate.
In Reno, Bhullar averaged 10.3 points with 8.8 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game as he worked to get in shape after reportedly weighing in at close to 400 pounds during the NBA summer league.
"It's great, I mean you work out all year to get to this point and its good to see it actually pay off," Bhullar said in a video on the Kings' website. "I got a little taste of it earlier in the preseason and I'm just excited to get out there. ... I can't wait to get a chance to play on the court."
Bhullar could make his NBA debut Friday against the New Orleans Pelicans.
The 22-year-old went undrafted after two years with the Aggies, where he helped New Mexico State win back-to-back Western Athletic Conference titles in 2013 and 2014. He was named the WAC tournament's most valuable player both years as well.
Bhullar was born in Toronto after his parents immigrated from India.
Kings owner Vivek Randive, who founded the multimillion-dollar computing company TIBCO in 1997, was the first person of Indian descent to own an NBA team when he became a co-owner of the Golden State Warriors in 2010. He purchased the Kings in 2013.
