Princepal Singh becomes the first Indian to lift an NBA trophy | More sports News – Times of India
NAGPUR: An Indian laying his hands on an NBA trophy would sound unimaginable but that’s what Princepal Singh has done.
With the Sacramento Kings winning their second Summer League title, Gurdaspur’s Princepal scripted history by becoming the first Indian ever to lift an NBA trophy in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
A week after donning the blues of Sacramento Kings to become India’s second hoopster to debut in the 2021 Summer League, after Satnam Singh, the six-foot-nine forward became the first Indian to be part of a championshipwinning team at any level of the NBA.
In the Championship game, the Kings outplayed Boston Celtics by as many as 33 points (100-67) to win their second title after 2014.
“Lifting a trophy in America is a special feeling for me. This is the first time ever that I have won something in the mecca of basketball. Winning an NBA trophy at any level and becoming the first Indian to do so is like a dream. I still feel that I am living in a dream. I lifted something very precious,” Princepal told TOI in an exclusive chat after reaching LA.
In the blowout victory, Sacramento used suffocating defence, forced a whopping 28 turnovers and tallied a staggering 18 steals to secure their second title in seven years.
The 20-year-old lanky Indian forward had a four-minute appearance in the final moments of the clash and Princepal made the most of his time by scoring King’s final basket which took their tally of points to 100. He even pulled a rebound, before playing out a proper defensive game as taught in the training sessions by the Kings’ head coach Bobby Jackson.
“This was my first and last basket in the Summer League, and this will be the most memorable Pick & Roll shot of my life,” said Princepal.
In his debut on August 12, Princepal played for the final 1.22 minutes of a Kings’ victory against Washington Wizards.
The key to Sacramento’s undefeated play in Las Vegas, though, was the team’s defence — which started in training camp. “They haven’t run across a defence like ours,” Jackson said after the game.
Jackson added, “Hats off to the guys because the training camp was really hard. I kept preaching teamwork, chemistry, having each other’s back and defending at a high level.”
Princepal feels the defensive tactics applied by Jackson were the key to success “My coach asked me to play hard. We were told to play hard defensively. We didn’t try to outscore people, we tried to stop our opponents from scoring. A proper defensive strategy was the key to our success.”
On his overall experience with the Kings, he said, “It was really a nice experience for me. I learned a lot from all my professional teammates and the coaching staff. We were a great group of young guys who love to compete, play together and love to win.”
With the Sacramento Kings winning their second Summer League title, Gurdaspur’s Princepal scripted history by becoming the first Indian ever to lift an NBA trophy in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
A week after donning the blues of Sacramento Kings to become India’s second hoopster to debut in the 2021 Summer League, after Satnam Singh, the six-foot-nine forward became the first Indian to be part of a championshipwinning team at any level of the NBA.
In the Championship game, the Kings outplayed Boston Celtics by as many as 33 points (100-67) to win their second title after 2014.
“Lifting a trophy in America is a special feeling for me. This is the first time ever that I have won something in the mecca of basketball. Winning an NBA trophy at any level and becoming the first Indian to do so is like a dream. I still feel that I am living in a dream. I lifted something very precious,” Princepal told TOI in an exclusive chat after reaching LA.
In the blowout victory, Sacramento used suffocating defence, forced a whopping 28 turnovers and tallied a staggering 18 steals to secure their second title in seven years.
The 20-year-old lanky Indian forward had a four-minute appearance in the final moments of the clash and Princepal made the most of his time by scoring King’s final basket which took their tally of points to 100. He even pulled a rebound, before playing out a proper defensive game as taught in the training sessions by the Kings’ head coach Bobby Jackson.
“This was my first and last basket in the Summer League, and this will be the most memorable Pick & Roll shot of my life,” said Princepal.
In his debut on August 12, Princepal played for the final 1.22 minutes of a Kings’ victory against Washington Wizards.
The key to Sacramento’s undefeated play in Las Vegas, though, was the team’s defence — which started in training camp. “They haven’t run across a defence like ours,” Jackson said after the game.
Jackson added, “Hats off to the guys because the training camp was really hard. I kept preaching teamwork, chemistry, having each other’s back and defending at a high level.”
Princepal feels the defensive tactics applied by Jackson were the key to success “My coach asked me to play hard. We were told to play hard defensively. We didn’t try to outscore people, we tried to stop our opponents from scoring. A proper defensive strategy was the key to our success.”
On his overall experience with the Kings, he said, “It was really a nice experience for me. I learned a lot from all my professional teammates and the coaching staff. We were a great group of young guys who love to compete, play together and love to win.”
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