Photo: Len Werle/OpenCourt-Basketball
Nav Bhatia Helps Fan Make Dying Wish Come True
Nav Bhatia definitely is the most famous (non-celebrity) sports fan in the NBA. Bhatia came to Canada in the 1980s as an Indian immigrant, and has an incredible success story. Unable to exploit his degree as a mechanical engineer, he only managed to find a job as a salesman at at a car dealership.
In his first 90 days at the job, Nav managed to sell 127 cars, four times more than the second best seller.
He was so good that after two years he had the money to buy the dealership. Today he is the owner of various dealerships including the largest Hyundai dealership in all of Canada, and has an estimated net worth of over 60 million dollars.
Ever since the Toronto Raptors have become an NBA team in 1995 (as part of the NBA’s expansion into Canada), Bhatia has not missed a single home game.
In 2018 he founded the “Superfan Foundation” in order to bring people together through sport. He spends more than $300,000 annually, to invite thousands of underprivileged families to Raptors games.
He’s made many people happy with his amazing persona and the foundation and now was able to help one fan make his dying wish come true.
17-year old Corey Groves suffers from stage four sarcoma cancer and has already been through 12 rounds of chemotherapy in these past six months. His wish is to meet his hero LeBron James, something that Bhatia now was able to arrange.
Per CTV News Toronto:
Groves, who said he has always been a Los Angeles Lakers fan, was granted a wish from the Children’s Wish Foundation earlier this year and immediately knew he wanted to meet his hero Lebron James.
Despite multiple attempts, the foundation was not able to arrange a meeting with James, but offered Groves a week-long all-expense paid trip to Los Angeles along with tickets to a game. He is leaving on Dec. 23.
But on Wednesday evening, Bhatia made a surprise visit to Groves at Credit Valley Hospital to give him the news he’s been waiting for – a meeting with his basketball hero had been arrange.
“Corey’s wish will come true,” the hospital said in a statement. “He will meet Lebron James at the Lakers game on Christmas Day.”
Photo Credit: Trillium Health Partners
