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NBA Academy graduate Princepal Singh, a 6-10 forward from Punjab, India, has signed a contract to play in the NBA G League, the league announced on Tuesday.
Singh, 19, is the first NBA Academy graduate to sign with the NBA G League and the first NBA Academy India graduate to sign a professional contract. He joins high school prospects Jalen Green, Isaiah Todd, Daishen Nix, Kai Sotto and Jonathan Kuminga to play next season on the G League Select Team.
Singh joined The NBA Academy India in 2017 and transitioned to The NBA Global Academy in 2018 in Canberra, Australia, where he continued training before graduating this spring. He participated in several high-profile international basketball events, including Basketball Without Borders Asia 2018, BWB Global 2018 and the NBA Global Camp 2018.
The NBA G League announced on April 16 its plans to launch a new developmental team as an alternative path for elite prospects wanting to play professionally. Green and Todd were the first two players to commit to the revamped program while Nix and Sotto, who joins Singh as the two international prospects, also joined afterward.
Under the structure of the new program, prospects will be placed on a team filled with veteran players and experienced coaches to provide mentorship throughout the season. Former NBA coach Brian Shaw was named the head coach of the NBA G League Select Team in June.
The group of prospects will participate in training and exhibition games against other G League teams and international clubs. The team will play around 10-12 games against existing G League teams in games that won’t count against the standings.
(Top photo courtesy of NBA Academies)
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