Raptors Superfan Nav Bhatia granted honorary degree from Toronto college
Nav Bhatia has been known as the world’s biggest Toronto Raptors fan, but one local higher learning institution is recognizing him for his work away from the court.
Humber Polytechnic honoured Bhatia with an honorary degree at their fall convocation ceremony on Thursday, with the 74-year-old in attendance to pick up the award.
“Today we celebrate entrepreneur and philanthropist Nav Bhatia as he receives an honorary degree at Fall 2025 Convocation,” Humber Polytechnic said via social media. “Nav is a leader in diversity, inclusion, and business and he also happens to be the Raptors Superfan!”
Among Bhatia’s accomplishments noted by Humber include the creation of the Nav Bhatia Superfan Foundation, promoting diversity in sport, and supporting girls’ education with Daughters of India.
Bhatia has been a staple of Raptors home games since the team’s inception in 1995, being a season ticket holder since day one. He’s only ever missed home games for the COVID-19 pandemic, having to quarantine following an exposure in 2021.
Immigrating to Canada from India in the early 1980s, Bhatia has been widely credited for helping to promote diversity and inclusion at Scotiabank Arena and throughout the Canadian basketball landscape. In 2021, he was honoured at the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame for his dedication to the sport. In the business world, Bhatia has primarily built up his resume through the car sales industry and now owns several dealerships in the GTA.
Off the court, he’s been a philanthropist, helping to open up new basketball courts and run youth programs across Canada.
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“This beautiful country, Canada, gave me everything I’ve got today,” Bhatia said in a video message displayed at the convocation ceremony. “That’s why I started Nav Bhatia Superfan Foundation… Its goal is very simple: to bring the kids and all the people together through this beautiful game of basketball. I just want to make sure that kids don’t have to go through what I went through when I first came to this country.”