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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.