On August 11, Princepal Singh became the only second Indian after Satnam Singh to feature in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. Principal Singh was on the court for 1 minute 22 seconds against the Washington Wizards during his debut.
“I had never thought I would make it this far. It feels like a dream at times – I played in the G-League, now the Summer League and my next target is to play in the NBA. My aim is to have a long career in the NBA. And I’m working hard towards making that dream come true.” said Princepal Singh. on his historic achievement (To nba.com)
I get to play with some of the best players in the Summer League and it’s really helping improve my game. It’s good to learn how the pro players conduct themselves.
“After the Summer League, I will resume my training in LA. I’m really happy with my progression. It really feels great. My next goal is the NBA. I want to play for a long time, so I want to keep my body fit and have a long NBA career.” said Singh on his future plans
From Volleyball player to featuring in NBA Summer League
Singh comes from Gurdaspur, Punjab, where he grew up playing volleyball. In 2014, he went to Ludhiana in search of joining a Volleyball academy but ended up joining a Basketball academy. Jaipal Singh, a coach at the Ludhiana Basketball Academy (LBA), was impressed with the height (6′ 9″) of Princepal. He asked him to join the Basketball Academy. Jaipal trained Princepal at the LBA and then at the NBA Academy in New Delhi for 18 months. (https://store.spaceylon.com/)
In 2016, Princepal earned a three-year full scholarship, worth $75,000, to play at SPIRE Institute and Academy in Geneva, Ohio. Unfortunately, he was unable to join the program because his visa was rejected twice. Then, in 2017, he earned a call-up to the NBA Global Academy, a training center in Canberra. Singh trained at the Global Academy on a two-year contract.
Breakthrough moment
In 2019, Princepal Singh led Punjab to the title win at the Indian Junior National Championship. He scored 40 points against Rajasthan in the final and was named the most valuable player (MVP) of the tournament. He also grabbed the gold medal in the under-21 category for Punjab in the Khelo India Youth Games in January 2020.
The biggest moment came for Singh in 2020, when he signed a one-year contract with the NBA G League in Ignite. He became the first NBA Academy India graduate to sign a professional contract. He averaged 2.3 points in four games in his first season.
Debut for the Indian senior national team
In 2017, Princepal led India to the gold medal victory at the SABA Under-16 Championship in Kathmandu, Nepal. He was named the MVP of the tournament for his brilliant performance. Princepal made his debut for the Indian senior national team in December 2018 at the Super Kung Sheung Cup International Championship in Hong Kong. And after a year, he made it to the Indian squad for Window 1 of the FIBA Asia Cup qualification stage.
