Princepal becomes first Indian to be in NBA title-winning team as Sacramento Kings win Summer League

The 6-foot-9 inch forward from Gurdaspur in Punjab made history by becoming the first Indian to be part of a championship winning team at any level of the NBA.

New York: Indian basketball player Princepal Singh became the first Indian ever to be a part of an NBA title-winning team when his team Sacramento Kings clinched the 2021 NBA Summer League title.

The 6-foot-9 inch forward from Gurdaspur in Punjab made history by becoming the first Indian to be part of a championship winning team 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 victory also made the Kings the only franchise to win multiple Summer League titles. They had won the title before in 2014. Louis King was named the MVP of the championship game after scoring 21 points and five steals against Celtics.

In the final, Princepal, an NBA Academy India alumni, played in the last four minutes of the game and put his name alongside Satnam Singh Bhamara.

In the course of his time on the court, Princepal finished with two points by scoring the Kings' final bucket which took them to 100, and also pulled down one rebound.

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 one minute and 22 seconds of an 89-75 Kings' victory over the Washington Wizards in Las Vegas.

IANS