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http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/21/sp...=fb-share&_r=0
Amazing how he has stuck with them even though the Raptors have been abysmal throughout most of their history.
Other dignitaries stopped to pay their respects, including Kyle Lowry, the Raptors’ starting point guard. (Bhatia recalled being worried that Lowry would be traded midseason. “I told them not to break up the family,” he said.) Next came two fans from New York who recognized Bhatia from television and wanted a photograph with him. Then there was Jonas Valanciunas, the team’s young center from Lithuania. Bhatia has helped him with his English.
“He’s like my dad,” Valanciunas said.
John Altilia, who manages security for the Raptors, said: “Nav is such a fixture that opposing players will ask where he is if they don’t see him. He’s been nothing but an ambassador.”
“He’s like my dad,” Valanciunas said.
John Altilia, who manages security for the Raptors, said: “Nav is such a fixture that opposing players will ask where he is if they don’t see him. He’s been nothing but an ambassador.”
“I’m an addict of basketball,” said Bhatia, who now has 10 season tickets and likes to share them. “I don’t drink. I don’t smoke. I don’t womanize. But I Raptorize. That’s it.”
Raptorizing takes many forms. DeRozan was a rookie with the Raptors in 2009 when he met Bhatia. DeRozan was new to the city, so Bhatia offered DeRozan some insight: the neighborhoods, the restaurants, the history of the team. At some point during their conversation, DeRozan casually mentioned that he was looking for a car. The next morning, he awoke to discover a Range Rover parked outside his home. Bhatia wanted DeRozan to borrow the vehicle until he found one of his own.
Raptorizing takes many forms. DeRozan was a rookie with the Raptors in 2009 when he met Bhatia. DeRozan was new to the city, so Bhatia offered DeRozan some insight: the neighborhoods, the restaurants, the history of the team. At some point during their conversation, DeRozan casually mentioned that he was looking for a car. The next morning, he awoke to discover a Range Rover parked outside his home. Bhatia wanted DeRozan to borrow the vehicle until he found one of his own.
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