Book ~ "The Heart of a Superfan" (2024) Nav Bhatia

From Goodreads ~ The Raptors' story is an underdog story - and the same is true for their greatest superfan. This memoir offers a courtside view into the extraordinary life of Nav Bhatia.

You know him as the Raptors Superfan but Nav Bhatia's story is bigger than basketball.

Nav immigrated to Canada from India after experiencing many hardships - only to face a host of new challenges. Life as an immigrant was gruelling and grey ... and then a new basketball team came to town. As Nav cheered on the Toronto Raptors at game after game, as they lost, as they won, on the good days and the bad, he discovered inspiration and community in the greatest game on earth, formed life-long bonds with many of the best players the sport has ever known and solidified his own place in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

In this memoir, Nav shares his incredible personal story of triumphing over adversity, as well as the lessons that propelled him to success in all facets of life: as an entrepreneur, movie producer, humanitarian, son, father and husband and the Raptors' most dedicated supporter. And woven throughout the book are intimate, colourful behind-the-scenes stories about the Raptors - from their very first game in 1995 to their 2019 Championship win, and beyond - that only the Superfan could know.

This is a book about loyalty, perseverance and the power of sports to unite us across differences - and, most of all, about how following your passions can lead you to the most extraordinary places.

This is Nav Bhatia's story of moving with his wife from India to Toronto in 1984 in the midst of anti-Sikh riots. He struggled to find work as a mechanical engineer and worked as a car salesman. He bought the dealership two years later and is now the owner of one of the top-selling Hyundai car dealerships in Canada. He became interested in the Toronto Raptors basketball team, a game which isn't well-known in India, when they formed and became famous as their Superfan. But for the restrictions during COVID, he has attended every Toronto Raptors home game. As he has become successful, he wanted to give back to his Indian heritage and also help children attend basketball games they wouldn't be able to financially.

It was an interesting story told in a conversational manner. He sounds like a nice fella. There was only one picture in the book and it would have been nice had there been more.