Princepal Singh had spent the last season with the G League Ignite, which is a first-of-its-kind team set up by the league for Draft-eligible prospects. He did not enter the NBA Draft, seeking more game time in G League.
Princepal Singh shoots the ball during a Ignite practice session in February this year at AdventHealth Arena in Orlando, Florida. NBAE via Getty Images
India’s Princepal Singh, nicknamed as the ‘Next Big Singh’, will play another season in the NBA G League after he was drafted by Stockton Kings on Saturday. Princepal was the fifth pick in the third round of the G League Draft.
Stockton Kings are the G League affiliates of the Sacramento Kings, who are owned by Indian-American Vivek Ranadive. The Kings, along with Indiana Pacers, had come to India in 2019 to play two exhibition games called the NBA India Games.
The Indian basketball player spent last season with the G League Ignite, which is a first-of-its-kind team set up by the league for Draft-eligible prospects. Ignite was set up by the NBA as an alternative pathway for promising youngsters who choose to opt of playing a year in college. Some of Princepal’s teammates at Ignite moved to the NBA this season. Jalen Green was picked second overall by the Houston Rockets, Jonathan Kuminga was drafted seventh by Golden State Warriors and Isaiah Todd was picked in the second round (31st overall) by the Milwaukee Bucks.
In his debut G League season, Princepal got just 25 minutes (in four appearances) on the court. In those minutes, he totalled nine points and grabbed four rebounds. After the G League season ended, Princepal had spent time training with Elevate X. He was a part of the Sacramento Kings roster which won the NBA Summer League title.
Princepal was eligible for the NBA Draft too, but chose to skip it.
Talking about his decision to skip the NBA Draft, Princepal had told Firstpost: “I had a feeling that the time was not right. I also consulted with my agent before taking the decision not to enter this year’s Draft. He told me that it would be better for my career if I first got some competitive gametime in the Summer League and G League. I need more experience. More playtime. I need to improve. The goal for me is to get my body in shape and focus on skill work. I need to improve myself.”
Before Princepal, two other Indians — Satnam Singh and Amjyot Singh Gill — have played in the NBA G League. Palpreet Singh was on the cusp of playing in the G League, after being picked (11th in the fourth round of the draft in 2016) by Long Island Nets. However, he was released by the franchise.
Amjyot was drafted as the 103rd overall pick by the OKC Blue, which is an affiliate of the Oklahoma City Thunder.