Nav Bhatia

Some Lesser Known Facts About Nav Bhatia

• Nav Bhatia grew up in New Delhi. In 1984, he moved to Toronto, Canada, during the anti-Sikh riots in India.

  

• In Canada, he struggled to find a job as a mechanical engineer.

• Bhatia faced racism and was treated differently because of his appearance.

• His friends told him to shave his beard and remove his turban to get a job.

• Bhatia refused to give up and got a job as a car salesman.

• Within three months, Nav Bhatia sold 127 cars and set a record at his workplace.

• Two years later, he bought the car dealership and owned two Hyundai dealerships in Mississauga and Rexdale.

• Later, his dealerships became the top-selling Hyundai dealerships in Canada.

  

• In 2016, Nav Bhatia became the only non-Christian global ambassador for World Vision’s Rise Up! Daughters of India campaign.

• He pledged to build school washrooms for girls in rural areas of Punjab and Rajasthan as part of the campaign.

  

• In 2018, Nav Bhatia started the Superfan Foundation to unite people in Canada and worldwide through basketball.

• Reportedly, every year, he spends $300,000 on this foundation to send thousands of kids to Raptors games.

  

• The foundation also builds basketball courts and organizes camps for kids from all backgrounds.

• It also sells Superfan t-shirts and slippers online to use the money for charity.

  

• From 1995 to 2020, Nav Bhatia attended every Raptors home game for 25 years.

• After the Toronto Raptors won the NBA Championship in the 2018-2019 season, he became the first fan to get an official NBA championship ring.

  

• In 2020, the Basketball Hall of Fame announced Nav Bhatia as one of the first fans to be included in its new superfan gallery.

• The Raptors had also temporarily played in Tampa, Florida, during the 2020-2021 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• His attendance ended on 10 December 2021, when he had to isolate himself after a COVID-19 outbreak.

• In 2021, Nav Bhatia was announced as the biggest fan of the Toronto Raptors.

  

• The Hall of Fame officially honoured him on 15 May 2021, during their induction weekend.

  

• His exhibit at the Hall of Fame included his turban and a Superfan jersey.

• On 3 December 2021, CBC released a documentary titled Superfan: The Nav Bhatia Story, based on his life.

  

• His documentary featured interviews with Bhatia’s family and friends and well-known personalities like comedian Russell Peters, former NBA superstar Vince Carter, Raptors head coach Nick Nurse, and Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas.

• Later, it was announced that a Hollywood biopic, Superfan, about him, would be released and actor Kal Penn would portray Nav Bhatia in the biopic.

• Nav Bhatia is known as the Raptors’ Official Superfan and the Raptors’ South Asian Community Ambassador, working alongside Drake.

• In 2023, the city of Mississauga awarded him the Key to the City.

• Nav Bhatia is often invited to talk about basketball in the media.

  

• He is recognized for promoting diversity and inclusion at Scotiabank Arena and Canadian Basketball.

• In 2023, Nav Bhatia travelled worldwide to promote Canada at the FIBA World Cup. Canada won a historic bronze medal during the games.

• In November 2024, he was featured as a clue on the Indian game show Kaun Banega Crorepati. The question highlighted his Basketball Hall of Fame induction in 2021 and his love for basketball.

  

• Nav Bhatia actively works to bring Bollywood to Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and aims to change prevailing perceptions of Sikhs through basketball and his business.

• His daughter, Tia, was adopted from an orphanage in India.

• Nav Bhatia has collaborated with brands such as Tim Hortons and Tourism Toronto as an influencer.

• In April 2024, he released his book The Heart of a Superfan: A Memoir of Grit, Love, Family and Basketball.

  

• Nav Bhatia has walked the ramp for many renowned fashion designers.

  

• Once, in a media conversation, he shared that he was not interested in politics. Nav Bhatia said,
  

  I stay away from politics to be honest. But I am a proud Sikh. And that is first and foremost.”