From misfortune to icon: How a poor immigrant went from cleaning toilets to amassing wealth and making NBA history

Nav Bhatia’s life is a Canadian success story like no other.

From facing persecution to being loved by millions, and from struggling with work to representing an NBA franchise alongside Drake, he embodies the idea that anything is possible.

The iconic Raptors superfan has certainly earned his title: since 1995, the 72-year-old has attended every Toronto Raptors home game for more than 25 years. With just one absence in 2021 due to a COVID-19 outbreak, he was a cheerful presence on the field when the team played at Scotiabank Arena.

He was named Canada Basketball’s Global Community Ambassador in 2019 and became the first NBA fan to receive a championship ring following the team’s victory that same year.

Today, he’s a household name in Canada and recognized by basketball fans around the world, but things weren’t easy for Bhatia at the start of his journey, as he shared in an exclusive interview with New Canadian media.

“I came here in 1984 and as you know it was a very difficult time for the Sikhs in India,” he said. “Then the genocide took place and the Sikhs were slaughtered, and there was no safe place for the Sikhs in the house or in the temple. Their businesses were burned down.”

After moving to Toronto, Bhatia did not receive the same love and adoration that he receives from Canadians today.

“I was a mechanical engineer, but I couldn’t get a job,” he said. “No one wanted to hire a Sikh with a turban.”

Even with his prestigious professional background in India, Bhatia was forced to do odd jobs to make ends meet in Canada: he painted walls, did landscaping and cleaned toilets before landing a job as a car salesman.

“It was the darkest time of my life in Canada, that day when I first started my job as a car salesman,” said Bhatia. “The other white salespeople made fun of me, called me racist, and that day was my darkest day.”

Bhatia says his prayers gave him the energy he needed to face adversity and succeed.

“Then I started my thing and sold 127 cars,” he said. “A record at the time, and still a record. Going forward, I became the best salesperson in the country, the best manager in the country and now, by God’s grace, I own five Hyundai and Genesis dealerships.”

Today, as an experienced businessman, Bhatia believes in sharing his success with others. He works with World Vision Canada, which supports girls’ education in poor countries through programs such as Rise Up Daughters of India, of which Bhatia is an ambassador.

“I think poverty is the greatest disease in the world, but God gave us a way to solve that by financing it, by finding a way, and that’s what we’re trying to do,” Bhatia said.

“God has blessed me. I want to share it. I want to make sure I can make an impact on the children who don’t get this opportunity because I believe that every child, especially girls, deserves an education.”

He also runs his own non-profit organization, the Nav Bhatia Superfan Foundation.

“We’re building basketball courts so the kids can play basketball and not waste their time and energy sitting at the mall or in the gangs or anything like that,” Bhatia said. “Every year we inspire thousands of children. We make them feel like an NBA or WNBA player, and we’ll continue to do that.”

Today, fans around the world can tune in to any Raptors home game and he will be there to cheer on the team and cheer up the crowd.

His love for basketball has earned him many accolades. In addition to being named a Global Community Ambassador of Canada Basketball, he is a member of the legendary Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and became the first NBA fan to receive a championship ring following the team’s 2019 victory.

He is also the subject of the 2021 documentary Super Fan: The Nav Bhatia Storyfeaturing Raptors icons like Vince Carter, Nick Nurse and Isiah Thomas.

Recently, Bhatia published the best-selling memoir of 2024 Heart of a Superfan. The book chronicles his entire life story, from his early childhood in Delhi to how he earned his own courtside seat at the Scotiabank Arena.

The goal of the book, he says, is to inspire readers.

“Someone can read it in Egypt, someone can read it in India, someone can read it in Singapore and they can delve into this work,” says Bhatia, who says anyone can overcome hardships and succeed like him.

Bhatia will continue to use his platform and influence to help build a better world and a better Canada.

“We have some cracks in Canada, but we are still the best country in the world,” he said. “We are the envy of many countries around the world, and we must continue to work hard to keep Canada the best country in the world.”