Princepal Singh

Princepal Singh Bajwa (Punjabi: ਪ੍ਰਿੰਸਪਾਲ ਸਿੰਘ; born January 3, 2001) is an Indian professional basketball player for the NBA G League Ignite. Listed at 6 feet 9 inches (2.06 m) and 221 pounds (100 kg), he plays the center position.

Princepal Singh
No. 12 – NBA G League Ignite
PositionCenter
LeagueNBA G League
Personal information
Born (2001-01-03) 3 January 2001
Firozpur, Punjab, India
NationalityIndian
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight221 lb (100 kg)
Career information
Playing career2020–present
Career history
2020–presentNBA G League Ignite
Career highlights and awards
  • SABA Under-16 Championship MVP (2017)
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  India
SABA Under-16 Championship
2017 NepalTeam

Early life and career

Singh is a native of Dera Baba Nanak, Punjab, India and grew up playing volleyball. In 2014, he travelled to Ludhiana to try out for a volleyball academy but instead drew the attention of Jaipal Singh, a coach at the Ludhiana Basketball Academy (LBA).[1][2] Standing 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) at the time, he soon joined the LBA and learned how to play basketball from Jaipal Singh.[3] In 2016, Singh earned a three-year full scholarship, worth $75,000, to play at SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio but was unable to join the program after his visa was rejected twice.[4]

Singh trained at the NBA Academy India in Delhi for 18 months, before being called up to the NBA Global Academy, a training center at the Australian Institute of Sport Centre of Excellence in Canberra, in May 2017.[5] Singh trained at the Global Academy on a two-year contract.[6] In October 2019, he was named most valuable player (MVP) at the Indian Junior National Championship after leading Punjab to the title and scoring 40 points against Rajasthan in the final.[3] Singh helped Punjab capture a gold medal in the under-21 category of the Khelo India Youth Games in January 2020.[7][8]

Professional career

NBA G League Ignite (2020–present)

On 28 July 2020, Singh signed a one-year contract with the NBA G League and joined the NBA G League Ignite as a part of the league's new developmental program operating outside its traditional team structure. He became the first NBA Academy India graduate to sign a professional contract.[9]

National team career

Indian junior men's national team

In September 2017, Singh led India to the gold medal at the SABA Under-16 Championship in Kathmandu, Nepal. He was named tournament MVP after scoring 20 points in a 131–50 win over Bhutan in his final game.[10] In April 2018, Singh competed at the FIBA Under-16 Asian Championship in Foshan, China, averaging 22.7 points and 13 rebounds per game.[11] At the 2018 FIBA Under-18 Asian Championship in Nonthaburi, Thailand, he averaged 15.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game as the captain of the Indian team.[12]

Indian senior men's national team

In December 2018, Singh made his debut for the Indian senior national team at the Super Kung Sheung Cup International Championship in Hong Kong.[1] In February 2020, he was selected to represent India for Window 1 of the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualification stage.[13] In his first game, on 21 February, Singh recorded three points, five rebounds and two assists in 12 minutes in a 68–67 loss to Bahrain.[14]

Personal life

Singh's father, Gurmej Singh, is an electrician.[15] His father stands 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) and his mother, Hardeep Kaur, stands 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in).[16]

References
  1. Sen, Debayan (5 December 2018). "Meet Princepal, Indian basketball's 'next big Singh'". ESPN. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  2. "Hope to make it to the NBA one day: Indias Princepal Singh". Outlook. Indo-Asian News Service. 24 December 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  3. Raj, Pratyush (30 October 2019). "Gurdaspur hoopster is the new 'Prince' of Indian basketball". The Times of India. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  4. Senthil, Anjana (5 December 2018). "Princepal's tryst with destiny". The Hindu. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  5. Matange, Yash (8 May 2020). "'The NBA Academy experience has been great for me' - Princepal Singh says while discussing the three-year journey and more". National Basketball Association. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  6. Menon, Anirudh (17 January 2020). "'I will play in the NBA' - Princepal Singh has eyes firmly set on the big prize". ESPN. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  7. Matange, Yash (22 January 2020). "Khelo India Youth Games 2020: Princepal Singh leads Punjab to gold in U-21 category as Kerala grabs most basketball medals". National Basketball Association. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  8. J, Raunak (31 July 2020). ""Didn't expect it to happen so quickly," says India's Princepal Singh after signing NBA G League contract [Exclusive]". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  9. "Princepal Singh Becomes First NBA Academy Graduate To Sign With NBA G League". NBA G League. 28 July 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  10. "India crowned 2nd SABA U16 Zone champions". Ekalavyas. 9 September 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  11. "Princepal primed to be the Next Big Singh for India Basketball". FIBA. 31 July 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  12. Flojo, Enzo (8 November 2018). "Which other youth standouts can play at the senior level now?". FIBA. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  13. Matange, Yash (17 February 2020). "FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers: Princepal Singh and Amaan Sandhu part of India squad for Window 1". National Basketball Association. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  14. "Princepal Singh". FIBA. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  15. Sampat, Amit (1 June 2016). "The Story Of Prince Lal Singh, An Electrician's Son Who Realized His US Basketball Dream". India Times. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  16. Mahendra, Vikram (1 June 2016). "Punjab teenager Prince Pal Singh earns $75,000 scholarship to train in USA, could play in NCAA by 2020". Sportskeeda. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
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