NBA: Princepal Singh, winner of NBA Summer Trophy, 'will enroll for NBA draft next year'

Indian basketball sensation, Princepal Singh Bajwa has revealed his plans of enrolling himself for the National Basketball Association (NBA) draft next year. Princepal Singh made history by becoming the first-ever Indian player to be part of the NBA title-winning team at any level. Playing for the Sacramento Kings during the NBA Summer Season, the player standing 6 feet 9 inches tall, came into the court with 4:08 minutes left in the game and scored the final two points for the Kings, taking their score to a total of 100 points. The Kings earned the 2021 NBA Summer League title after winning 100-67 against the Boston Celtics. He also became the first Indian basketball player to make a debut in the NBA Summer League. 

Princepal Singh says he needs more experience and playing time before making the jump to NBA

The 20-year-old Basketball player, Princepal, in a conversation with PTI, expressed his feelings about playing in the finals. He said, “That was the best part. I wanted to play and score desperately. Bohot badiya tha woh [It was very good]. Every member of our team had scored. So scoring the 100th point was really special.” Talking about his future in the NBA and his plans of playing with the big guns, he said, “I had a chat with my agent before deciding not to enter the NBA draft. I need more experience and playing minutes before making the jump. Moreover, I was a bit unfit before. Now I am back to prime fitness and I am improving a lot. So I want to play in G-League and summer league, then next year I will enroll myself for the draft. I want to prove myself first in these leagues and then go for NBA."

Shedding light on his dream of playing at the Olympics while playing for the Indian team, he said, “While I was watching the Olympics, I felt if India could play here, it will be great. We will play someday for sure. India should focus on playing abroad. They need exposure trips to play against the best. Right now, the players play only in India. We should try going to China or Australia to play against their national teams so that we get to improve. The current coach is doing great in training and we are improving. He almost trains the way, we train in India." Princepal Singh last represented India for Window 1 of the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualification and managed to score three points, five rebounds, and two assists in the 12 minutes that he played.

(With inputs from PTI)

(Image Source: Princepal Singh- Instagram)