PHOTOS

In Pics: Meet Princepal Singh – First Indian to be in NBA title-winning team

Indian basketball player Princepal Singh became the first Indian ever to be a part of an NBA title-winning team when his team Sacramento Kings clinched the 2021 NBA Summer League title.

The 6-foot-9 inch forward from Gurdaspur in Punjab made history by becoming the first Indian to be part of a championship-winning team at any level of the NBA. The Kings dominated the championship game against the Boston Celtics, clinching the title with a 100-67 win on Tuesday (August 17).

The victory also made the Kings the only franchise to win multiple Summer League titles. They had won the title before in 2014. Louis King was named the MVP of the championship game after scoring 21 points and five steals against Celtics.

In the final, Princepal, an NBA Academy India alumni, played in the last four minutes of the game and put his name alongside Satnam Singh Bhamara.

In the course of his time on the court, Princepal finished with two points by scoring the Kings' final bucket which took them to 100, and also pulled down one rebound.

The 20-year-old's appearance in the championship game comes exactly a week after he made his brief yet landmark debut at the Summer League, where he checked-in for the final one minute and 22 seconds of an 89-75 Kings' victory over the Washington Wizards in Las Vegas.

Zee Media Bureau|

Updated:Aug 18, 2021, 09:13 PM IST

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Princepal Singh

In an open trial at the SAI training center, Singh was selected for a three-year scholarship in America. However, his visa application was rejected and he continued his training at the NBA academy in Noida. Meanwhile, Princepal, only the second Indian to debut at the NBA Summer League, believes his journey has been nothing short of a "dream". "It is a great experience to play against the top players in Summer League. They are all NBA players, who have been drafted. My coach asked me to play hard, said I should focus on my game," he said.

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Princepal Singh

Princepal Singh picked up the game real quick. He was a problem for the opposition in the paint and became one of the best young hoopers in the country. Princepal Singh was also selected the MVP of the SABA U-16 Championship held in Kathmandu in 2017. He scored 20 points in the final to help India to a 131-50 win over Bhutan. Princepal made his senior team debut at the Super Kung Sheung Cup in Hong Kong in 2018. He also represented India at the 2021 FIBA Asian Cup qualification stage.

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Princepal Singh

Princepal also earned a call-up to the NBA Global Academy, a training center in Canberra. In October 2019, he led Punjab to the Junior National Championship title, scoring 40 points against Rajasthan in the final. He was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the tournament. Princepal also helped Punjab secure gold at the Khelo India Youth Games (Under-21) in 2020.

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Princepal Singh

Jaipal initially trained Princepal at the LBA. Thereafter, Singh trained at the NBA Academy in New Delhi for 18 months. In July 2020, Princepal signed a one-year contract with the NBA Academy's Ignite team in the G League. He became the first player from the NBA Academy to sign a professional contract. Princepal averaged 2.3 points in four games in his first season.

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Princepal Singh

Princepal hails from Gurdaspur, Punjab, where he grew up playing volleyball. In 2014, he decided to join a volleyball academy in Ludhiana. However, life had other plans for him. Jaipal Singh, a coach at the Ludhiana Basketball Academy (LBA), was impressed with the tall structure (6' 9") of Princepal. The coach then asked him to try out the sport and there was no looking back for him since.