The family of a Brampton regional councillor has become an Internet sensation after a friendly basketball wager between a 10-year-old boy and his 70-year-old grandfather was caught on camera.
On Saturday, Brampton Regional Councillor Gurpreet Singh Dhillon recorded his son and father taking part in a good-natured shoot out.
Singh Dhillon’s father offered his grandson $2 if he scored, but 10-year-old Karem Dhillon suggested upping the ante and called for a $20 bet.
In the video, which was posted to social media, Karem Dhillon takes his shot, but it doesn’t make it in the basket. His grandfather is seen in the video removes his jacket mid-dribble and manages to make it through the basket in the first attempt.
“I shot it and it goes in,” Jarnail Singh Dhillon told CTV News Toronto, adding that “it usually goes in.”
The family has a long history of loving the game of basketball.
Jarnail Singh Dhillon says he’s been playing for more than 50 years and several of his sons played basketball through university. Now, the family uses the game to bond.
“Every day we play” says Gurpreet Singh Dhillon. “Whether it’s five minutes, whether it’s for an hour or two hours we make sure that we try to play basketball every day. Not only is it good for us staying active, but it’s something to do as a family as well.”
The video, which the councillor posted on Twitter and Facebook, took off over the weekend and was picked up by ESPN online, and shared by other sports sites.
Gurpreet Singh Dhillon says he’s surprised at the interest in his family’s game, although he realizes “it’s not every day you see a 70-year-old Punjabi grandparent playing with his kid, and I think people thought that was really cool!”
In April, a video of Gurpreet Singh Dhillon younger son playing basketball also went viral. In the video, five-year-old Shabaig Singh Dhillon is supposed to call his team in for a huddle- but ends up giving them a group hug.
As for the bet, Jarnail Singh Dhillon was paid—not in cash, but with a dinner out.
He says he has no plans to stop playing basketball.
“If it’s in your heart, in your brain, just keep the game going and enjoy yourself.”
And he says he won’t turn down another challenge from his grandson.
