After breaking ground earlier this year and becoming the first NBA player of Indian descent, Sim Bhullar paid a visit to his parents' homeland.

Bhullar's parents left India for Canada in 1989. Sim, who was born in Toronto and raised in Brampton, Ont., and played in three games for the Sacramento Kings late last season, was embraced as a returning hero. The experience was very special for the 22-year-old Bhullar and he made sure to credit his parents for putting him in a position to succeed:

"Without them I wouldn't be where I'm at today. My dad worked so hard for me, he drove a taxi when he came over from India for 25 years and he just worked hard for me and wanted me to live a better life. He's the real superstar behind the story. Everything I have I owe to him and I'm grateful to him and my mom. They're amazing parents and they supported me 100%."

During his week-long tour he held a number of basketball clinics across the country and hopes he can help insire a generation of basketball players, just like Yao Ming did in China when he arrived in the NBA in 2002:

"That's the goal. As long as the kids have someone to look up to then the game is really growing here. Hopefully I see a couple players in the NBA in the future."

Bhullar still has a lot of work to do to establish himself in the NBA but the New Mexico State product has made massive strides since leaving school last year. The 7-foot-5 centre averaged 10.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 3.9 blocks per game for the Reno Bighorns, Sacramento's D-League affiliate, in his first season in the pros before getting his opportunity with the Kings. The next step is to get back on the court in summer league and continue to develop his game.

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