Only the second Indian to debut in the NBA Summer League, young basketball player Princepal Singh says his journey has been nothing short of a “dream” and is working on his fitness and skills to achieve his next goal of playing in the NBA. Singh, who hails from Gurdaspur, Punjab, followed his Ludhiana Basketball Academy teammate Satnam Singh in making his Summer League debut for the Sacramento Kings against the Washington Wizards in Las Vegas on Tuesday night.
“Playing in the Summer League is amazing. I’m very happy with my progress as a player. I played in the G League first and now I’m playing in the Summer League, and I’m working my way up to the NBA. I never thought I’d make it this far. It feels like a dream sometimes,” Singh said during a virtual press conference.
“My next goal is to play in the NBA, Satnam Singh was the first Indian to play and I want to play in the NBA for a long time, so my focus is to take care of my body and keep myself fit.”
Satnam played in the Summer League in 2016 after being drafted first in the NBA in 2015 by the Dallas Mavericks.
The 20-year-old Singh, whose first professional career was with the NBA Academy’s Ignite team in the G-League, made a brief appearance of just one minute and 22 seconds during the match, which they won 89-75.
“Playing against the top players in the summer league is a great experience. They are all NBA players who have been drafted. A lot to learn and my game is improving,” said Singh, a first-time NBA Academy India graduate to participate in a summer league game.
“My coach (Bobby Jackson) told me to play hard, I should focus on my game and I’ll get more time. He told me to focus on strong rebounding and defense and look to score.
“There is no pressure on me. I have played one match so far. I am getting less playing time now. So hopefully I will get more time in the future. I just want to focus on giving my hundred and prove myself.”
Asked what he learned from his stint at ‘G League Ignite’, he said: “I learned how professional players conduct themselves off the court, how hard they play, how they help each other.”
On the basketball scene in India, Singh said: “The sport is growing in India but no one is playing basketball because of the lockdown.”
“But the league starting in India will be a good opportunity for Indian players, they will get more opportunities. The India league offers good money and if they can work hard, they can achieve a lot through the league.
“Now there will be a 3×3 professional league with the Basketball Federation of India. This is a good thing. NBA India was a good initiative, it is spreading awareness and hopefully, the game will grow like cricket one day.”
‘3BL’ is India’s only FIBA ​​recognized 3×3 professional basketball league which was recognized by BFI in June.
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