I know I belong here: Princepal Singh

On Tuesday, Princepal Singh became only the fourth Indian to earn a spot in the National Basketball Association’s G League. On Wednesday, it sounded like he had been in the league for a long time.

Terms like 'no pressure', ‘I’ll give it a hundred per cent’, ‘I have worked hard to get this far’ were copiously used by the 19-year-old. But public relations drill aside, he knew what he was talking about, and from the get-go, it was evident that he believed he belonged there.

“I am very happy that I have come this far,” said Princepal. “I am looking forward to what this league has in store for me. Having been part of the NBA India Academy and the NBA Global Academy, I know I belong among these players on the Select Team. I know many Indian players who are on the same level as these foreign players. I don’t think you should sleep on us!”

The G-League, formerly D-League, is the development league for the NBA, and has contributed to over 50 per cent of the current crop at the highest level. Essentially, players who perform at this level, almost always get placed in the NBA. The 21-member Select Team has in it well known high school stars such as Jalen Green, Isaiah Todd, Jonathan Kuminga and Kai Sotto.

Satnam Singh, Amjyot Singh and Palpreet Singh were the three others who featured in the league in the past. Each of these players held a certain promise and looked the part, but none of them was able to crack the code.

Should NBA India insiders be believed, Princepal, however, has what it takes to become the first Indian in the NBA. “I know it has been only a few years since I started but I got lucky when NBA India picked me up. I was trained like many of the guys in the NBA, including weightlifting and speed training and so on. In the past, those facilities weren’t fully available to our players,” says the 6’10’’ youngster from Punjab.

“I am in constant touch with each of those three players and they’re always teaching me how to go about it,” adds Princepal.

When asked specifically about what he needs to do in order to come good in the eyes of NBA scouts, Princepal said: “I need to get stronger, shoot better and show a lot of heart. I know exactly what I need to do to do well and I know I am going to give it everything. As for the NBA, if everything goes according to plan, I should make it inside two years.”