HIGHLIGHTS

• Princepal Singh became the first Indian to lift an NBA trophy
• Princepal won the NBA Summer League title with Sacramento Kings
• Princepal played the last few minutes of the final game

Young cager Princepal Singh etched his name in the record books when he became the first Indian to be part of an NBA title-winning team. Princepal is part of the Sacramento Kings which clinched the 2021 NBA Summer League crown on Wednesday.

The 6-foot-9 forward made history by being the first Indian to be part of a championship roster at any level of the NBA. The Kings dominated the championship game against the Boston Celtics, clinching the title with a 100-67 win on Tuesday. The win also made the Kings the only franchise to win multiple Summer League titles, having previously clinched it in 2014, according to the NBA.

In the final, Princepal, an NBA Academy India alumni, played the last 4:08 minutes of the game and put his name alongside Satnam Singh Bhamara. During his time on the court, Princepal finished with two points by scoring the Kings final bucket which took them to 100, while also pulling down one rebound.

Princepal has set a high bar for future NBA Academy India graduates with his championship win. Earlier in the year, Singh had become the first-ever NBA Academy Global alumni to sign a G League contract and the first-ever NBA Academy India alumni to sign a professional contract when he agreed to a deal with the Ignite.

The 20-year-old’s appearance in the championship game comes exactly a week after he made his brief yet landmark debut at the Summer League, where he checked in for the final 1:22 minutes of a Kings’ victory over the Washington Wizards.