NBA player Princepal Singh: Work hard and learn the language of basketball

Princepal Singh. Picture Courtesy/ NBA

Princepal Singh is a 20-year-old basketball player from Punjab. He started playing the game at the age of 13 and was trained at the Ludhiana Basketball Academy. He then trained with NBA Academy India in New Delhi for 18 months before training at the NBA Global Academy in Canberra, Australia.

Singh debuted for the Indian national senior team in December 2018 and was part of the team to represent India at the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualification.

After impressing in the NBA Global Academy, Princepal was given the opportunity to play for the newly formed Ignite as part of the NBA G-League in 2020. He is now a part of the Sacramento Kings Summer League roster.

In an interview with mid-day.com, Princepal talked about his journey in pursuing basketball, the Sacramento Kings, his favourite NBA player and also had a message for the youth of India.

Excerpts:

Tell us about your journey while pursuing the sport early on.
I first started playing volleyball in my village and had gone for trials at Ludhiana Academy. That's where I saw basketball being played first and my journey began. Many encouraged me to take up basketball and so I did. It's been a great journey so far.

How did you take up an interest in basketball in a country dominated by other sports?
The NBA coming to India was good for the sport in our country and many who are not familiar with the sports are now being acquainted with it. I hope that basketball becomes as big as cricket one day, in India.

Tell us a little about the chemistry at Sacramento Kings
Well, we haven't had much time off the court yet as it has been just a few days together as a team. I try to learn to improve my game and skills on the court.

How does it feel being part of the summer league in the NBA?
It feels great to be playing with many NBA drafted players and some of the world's best players as there's much to learn from them and it also improves my game.

Do you receive any feedback from your coaching staff and will we get to see you play more minutes on the court? Any focus areas to work on?
Focus on your game is what they say. They also tell me to play to the best of my abilities and whatever opportunity comes my way, I will give my 100 per cent.

I am told to focus more on my rebound and defence areas.

Who is your favourite NBA player and why?
Anthony Davis. We have the same height. His skill on-court - shooting, rebound and his speed is great.

What message do you have for the youth who want to pursue NBA as a career?
Work hard and learn the language of basketball. Watch loads of videos on YouTube to learn. Work hard in the gym and keep a balanced diet. There is improvement in India with regards to basketball.

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