raptors superfan nba finals

Toronto Raptors Superfan Nav Bhatia reps Canada courtside at NBA Finals

If there's an important basketball game going on somewhere in the world, don't be surprised to see Toronto Raptors Superfan Nav Bhatia there.

Bhatia, the 73-year-old car dealership owner who has attended nearly every Raptors home game in Toronto in the franchise's history — save for a few COVID-19-related absences — was spotted on basketball's stage on Wednesday night.

With Game 3 of the NBA Finals taking place in Indianapolis between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder, Bhatia was front and centre in his usual courtside seats.

Instead of his usual Raptors get-up, Bhatia was wearing a Canada basketball No. 95 jersey, which stuck out quite a bit in a sea of mostly yellow and dark blue, mixed in with the odd Oklahoma City fan.

Seeing Bhatia travel for a big game is hardly anything new for him, as we've spotted him cheering on the Raptors during road games in the playoffs. He has also travelled to B.C. and even as far as the Philippines to root for the Canadian men's national team.

Though we're not exactly sure if Bhatia was cheering for either team based on his dress code for the day, there are plenty of connections for him (and most other Raptors fans) to this year's Finals.

Four Canadians are taking part in the Finals this year: Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort, as well as Indiana's Andrew Nembhard and Bennedict Mathurin. And then, of course, there's former Raptors All-Star Pascal Siakam, who Toronto sent to Indiana in a blockbuster deal back in January 2024.

Regardless of his affiliation, Bhatia got treated to a pretty good contest during his time in Indiana. With the 68-win Thunder heavy favourites going into the series, the Pacers shocked them with a 116-107 win to take a 2-1 series lead. Game 4 is set for Friday in Indianapolis, and we'll be keeping a close eye to see if we can spot him in the crowd once again.

Lead photo by

@eddiewhite3


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in Sports & Play

Canada's Wonderland drops first on-ride views of new record-breaking coaster

Toronto Raptors Superfan Nav Bhatia reps Canada courtside at NBA Finals

Toronto Raptors' Masai Ujiri trades the court for chit-chat on 'Kelly Clarkson Show'

Toronto Maple Leafs could lose one of biggest stars to playoff rival

Could Toronto Raptors trade Scottie Barnes for one of NBA's biggest stars?

Toronto Maple Leafs drop big hint that stars might not return next season

Ontario theme park to open game-changing year-round roller coaster

Record-breaking Canada's Wonderland coaster crosses biggest milestone yet