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Sim Bhullar to sign with Sacramento Kings, will be first NBA player of Indian descent

Sim Bhullar, Sacramento Kings (Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
Sim Bhullar, Sacramento Kings (Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

Time to add another Canadian to the growing list making the jump to the NBA.

ESPN.com's Marc Stein is reporting that Sim Bhullar, a native of Brampton, Ont., is about to sign a 10-day contract with the Sacramento Kings. It's a historic move too: Bhullar will become the first NBA player of Indian descent. The deal is expected to be made official on Thursday and his first game on the Kings' roster will be Friday night against New Orleans.

After playing for two years in the NCAA at New Mexico State, Bhullar, a 7-foot-5 centre, declared for the 2014 NBA draft but went undrafted.

Bhullar played for the Kings in Summer League team and spent the preseason with Sacramento before going down to their D-League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns. The main goal for him this season was to lose weight and improve his conditioning. He's made great strides in that area, dropping 30 pounds, and has put up solid numbers in the fast-paced D-League, averaging 10.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 3.9 blocks in just over 25 minutes per game.

With Bhullar joining fellow Canadian Nik Stauskas in Sacramento, there are now 13 Canadians in the NBA, including Bhullar's AAU teammates Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett.

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Israel Fehr is a writer for Yahoo Canada Sports. Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter.