Raptors superfan Nav Bhatia's story is bigger than basketball — read an excerpt from his upcoming memoir now
The Heart of a Superfan will be available on Feb. 27, 2024
For years, Toronto Raptors superfan Nav Bhatia has been a fixture on the sidelines cheering on the home team. Known for his unbridled passion for the Raptors, he has risen to mythical status in basketball circles across the country and around the world.
Now, he is telling the story of his life in his upcoming memoir The Heart of a Superfan. From his early life in India to immigrating to Canada and falling in love with the game of basketball — the memoir looks at the many hardships and triumphs in Bhatia's life.
Bhatia believes that his story can inspire young people in Canada to pursue their passions.
"People know me as the Raptors Superfan, but there is so much more to my story than that. Now, I have a chance to share it all — the struggles, the unbelievable adventures, and the lessons I've learned along the way," Bhatia said in an email statement.
"When I first arrived in Canada as a new immigrant, I was called slurs and faced a lot of adversity — I never imagined that one day, immigrant kids would be stopping me in the street to tell me I'm their role model and that they love basketball because of me. I hope this book inspires you to lean into your passions and follow your dreams. You might be surprised where they lead you!"
Bhatia is an entrepreneur, motivational speaker and philanthropist from Toronto. He runs the Nav Bhatia Superfan Foundation, which is dedicated to raising money to build basketball camps and courts for kids in Canada and across the globe. He was the first fan in NBA history to receive an official championship ring and to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. His life story is currently being adapted into a film by Kal Penn.
The memoir is co-written by award-winning journalist Tamara Baluja. Baluja is a producer for CBC News in Vancouver and has lived in India, Oman and England.
The Heart of a Superfan will be available on Feb. 27, 2024. Read an excerpt below.
I guess my antics at those early Raptors games got noticed because people in the crowds and those watching on TV started saying, "Who is that guy?" To be clear, I wasn't trying to draw attention to myself. I never referred to myself as the Superfan in those early days. I was just being me — a loud, enthusiastic Punjabi cheering on his team. My actions wouldn't have been out of place at a cricket match in India. But in Canada, people in general are more restrained.
I guess my antics at those early Raptors games got noticed because people in the crowds and those watching on TV started saying, 'Who is that guy?'
At the SkyDome, in a sea of mostly white and some Black fans, I stood out. I was definitely the only turbaned fan there. In those early days, if you sat courtside, you were probably some Bay Street corporate-type guy. Dave Haggith, the media relations lead for the Raptors at the time, later told me the camera guys used to complain about me because I would get in front of their lenses and hoot like crazy. A few fans seated near me actually started wearing earplugs. Even the players started to notice me.
Some got irritated and complained about me to the referees or security — like Kevin Garnett, as you already know. Some saw my genuine love for the game and would nod at me or throw me a smile. To this day, at least once a game, Raptors' Team Security Director John Altilia comes up to me and tells me (mostly jokingly) that he's going to throw me
out of the arena.
I always showed my love for the Raptors. Even if we were losing by forty points, I would be the last one to leave the arena.
I bet many people at the games thought I had been given a complimentary ticket because why else would I be there at every home game? I was often wearing a nice suit because I came straight from the dealership, so maybe some fans thought I was only there to network and was totally clueless about the game — at least until they saw me cheer. I always showed my love for the Raptors. Even if we were losing by forty points, I would be the last one to leave the arena. Sometimes the people sitting in the row in front of me would leave when the team was playing poorly, so I would sit in their seats after they left.
Sometimes, I admit, I get excessive with my passion for basketball. My family didn't understand why I was spending money on season tickets to watch a team that wasn't winning. My relatives weren't used to Canadian currency so when I told them the cost, they would do math in their heads to convert it into rupees and then chastise me! But Ammiji used to tell them to back off because it was my hard-earned money.
When I took my place at centre court, Isiah handed me a purple-and-white Raptors jersey that said 'Superfan' on the back, with the number '1.'
At a game during the 1997–1998 season, a few years after the Raptors franchise came to Toronto, a Raptors official walked over to me and said I should stay in my seat at halftime. I truly had no idea what was happening, but I got excited. Maybe I had won some raffle. Or maybe they wanted people to join in during the halftime performances. Whatever it was, I was game.
When the buzzer went off, former Raptors' General Manager Isiah Thomas walked onto the centre court and called me over. I pinched myself in disbelief. Isiah wasn't just some business executive in a suit who had never played the game. He was a twelve-time NBA All-Star and the point guard who'd guided the Detroit Pistons to two NBA championships. And for some reason, he knew my name.
We'd never even talked before. When I took my place at centre court, Isiah handed me a purple-and-white Raptors jersey that said "Superfan" on the back, with the number "1." I was stunned and mumbled my thanks as the media snapped photos. I didn't realize it in that moment, but Isiah Thomas changed my whole life that day.
As I walked back to my seat and looked at the Raptors jersey in my hands, I made another promise, like the one I'd made to Ammiji in India when I was sixteen, but this time just to myself: I would show up to every single home game. I would live up to the honour of the Superfan name. I had never done drugs in my life, but from that day on, I was running on the high of being the Raptors Superfan.
I had never done drugs in my life, but from that day on, I was running on the high of being the Raptors Superfan.
When I got home and showed the Superfan jersey to Ammiji, who by that point had moved to Toronto from India to live with us, and six-year-old Kudrat, they were both excited. But my wife was unimpressed.
"So, what does a Superfan do?" Arvinder said.
I shrugged and said, "I go to every game."
She pressed her lips together and went, "Hmph, at least someone is recognizing your silliness."
Excerpted from The Heart of a Superfan by Nav Bhatia. Copyright © 2024 Yellow Mango Films Inc. Published by Doubleday Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
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