Princepal has a great chance in front of him: Shareef

Shareef Abdur-Rahim insisted that Princepal Singh is in a prime position to make a push to become the first Indian in the National Basketball Association.

Princepal, the 19-year-old from Punjab, recently became the first NBA Academy graduate to join the G-League.

“A regular G-League team will have its own priorities, while being part of the select team will allow us to take a more direct interest in Princepal’s growth. He is positioned to do well in his professional career,” said Shareef, the G League president, said during an interaction recently.

Princepal has been selected as one of the elite prospects who are eligible to play in the G League but not yet eligible for the NBA. He will be part of the Select Team that would be based in Walnut Creek, California, and will be coached by former NBA player and coach Brian Shaw.

The selected elite prospects will play alongside veteran players on a select team that will take part in training and 10 to 12 exhibition games against other G League teams, foreign national teams and NBA academies.

Waxing lyrical, Shareef said: "Princepal has an incredible opportunity in front of him. Now three years he's been working for this through the NBA Academy and every year we've seen incredible growth. He has really improved year on year...his fundamentals, his skills, his athleticism, his strength. Just his ability as a basketball player to continue to get better is a great sign for his future."

Troy Justice, vice-president and head of International Basketball Development at NBA, seconded Shareef's view, adding that the NBA Academy has helped Princepal become an all-round player.

“First of all, Princepal is 6 feet 10 inches. He has some incredible natural instincts and skills that you can’t teach. He has got a high basketball IQ, he has got athleticism. The coaching staff has done an incredible job of really helping him grow as a player,” he said.

Shareef said like the other elite prospects in the select team, the Indian will also get an opportunity to get into the NBA draft.

“So these players sign a one-year contract and then from there, they decide on what’s next for them and what they want to do. In many cases, they’ll prepare and make their announcement for the NBA Draft,” he said.

Though the G League Select Team’s matches will be devoid of a competitive element as they will be exhibition matches, Shareef said the programme is developed in such a way that this aspect does not impact the overall growth of the players.

“The team will be a part of the G League, but the focus will be on the development of the young players. On the competition front, we have international tournaments participation. We are the League and we will focus on the overall growth, ensuring that there is a right balance between competitive format and development structure,” said Shareef.