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.
No. 12 – NBA G League Ignite | ||||||||||||||
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Position | Center | |||||||||||||
League | NBA G League | |||||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||||
Born | Firozpur, Punjab, India | 3 January 2001|||||||||||||
Nationality | Indian | |||||||||||||
Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | |||||||||||||
Listed weight | 221 lb (100 kg) | |||||||||||||
Career information | ||||||||||||||
Playing career | 2020–present | |||||||||||||
Career history | ||||||||||||||
2020–present | NBA G League Ignite | |||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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Medals
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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
- Sen, Debayan (5 December 2018). "Meet Princepal, Indian basketball's 'next big Singh'". ESPN. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
- "Hope to make it to the NBA one day: Indias Princepal Singh". Outlook. Indo-Asian News Service. 24 December 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
- Raj, Pratyush (30 October 2019). "Gurdaspur hoopster is the new 'Prince' of Indian basketball". The Times of India. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
- Senthil, Anjana (5 December 2018). "Princepal's tryst with destiny". The Hindu. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- "Princepal Singh Becomes First NBA Academy Graduate To Sign With NBA G League". NBA G League. 28 July 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
- "India crowned 2nd SABA U16 Zone champions". Ekalavyas. 9 September 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
- "Princepal primed to be the Next Big Singh for India Basketball". FIBA. 31 July 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
- Flojo, Enzo (8 November 2018). "Which other youth standouts can play at the senior level now?". FIBA. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
- 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.
- "Princepal Singh". FIBA. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
- 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.
- 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.