Princepal Singh's historic NBA G League deal: All you need to know from his teammates, head coach, contract and more

On July 28th, 19-year-old Indian basketball phenom Princepal Singh made history.

He became the first student-athlete from the NBA Academy to sign with the NBA G League and the first prospect from the NBA Academy India to sign a professional deal. 

The groundbreaking announcement, made on Tuesday evening [IST] by G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim, took the Indian sports news feed by storm. 

Princepal Singh is only going to get better 💪

🎤 “Crossover Layy” by @808Hanna pic.twitter.com/T9xDdAX9ZH

— NBA G League (@nbagleague) July 28, 2020

With the deal, the 6-10 forward will become the third Indian-born player to participate in the G League after Satnam Singh [Texas Legends, 2015-17] and Amjyot Singh [Oklahoma City Blue & Wisconsin Herd, 2017-19].

That said, let's get right to it. Here are all the details that are clear and available (at the time of the signing) regarding Singh's G League deal.

Contract

Singh has signed a 'select contract' with the G League, which as per the development league, is part of a new professional path for elite athletes who would like to develop their skills as a professional basketball player before they are eligible to enter the NBA Draft.

Players on these 'select contracts' cannot be 'called-up to the NBA and will be eligible for the NBA Draft after their year in the G League. The one-year deal also includes academic scholarship and other off-court activities essential for player development.

G League Team - the Ignite

The team that Singh will be a part of is the newest addition to the G League - the Ignite, which will debut in the 2021-22 season.

Not affiliated to any current G League or NBA franchise, It is a collection of elite high school prospects from around the globe. 

Teammates

Here's a complete look at all of Singh's teammates on the Ignite squad, after the team also signed veterans to act as mentors to the young talented prospects.

Green, ESPN's No. 1 high-school prospect in 2020, was the first to commit to this G League initiative in April. He was the named MVP of the 2018 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup in Argentina, one of three junior FIBA tournaments he was won a gold medal for the United States - 2019 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup in Greece and 2017 FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship in Argentina.

Todd, a 6-10 forward, was a teammate of Green's at the 2017 FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship in Argentina. Nix is a 6-4 point guard who was a 2020 McDonald’s HS All-American. Meanwhile, Kuminga is a 6-7 forward, who is ranked No. 4 on ESPN's Top 100 high-school prospects in 2020. 

Kai Sotto, a 7-2 center from the Philippines, was the first international prospect to commit. Having played the most recent high school season at The Skill Factory Prep School in Atlanta, Georgia, Sotto was a participant at the 2020 Basketball Without Borders Global Camp held during the NBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago. 

Coaching staff

In June 2020, Brian Shaw, a 5-time NBA Champion, was announced as the head coach of this team. He has nearly 30 years of experience as an NBA player and coach.

Shaw is the former head coach of the Denver Nuggets (2013-2015) and has over a decade's worth of experience of being on an NBA coaching staff - Los Angeles Lakers (assistant, 2005-11; associate head coach, 2016-19), and the Indiana Pacers (associate head coach, 2011-13). 

Other members of the Ignite's coaching staff include assistant coach Rasheed Abdul-Rahman, video coordinator Jerry Woods and athletic trainer Pete Youngman.

The views expressed here do not represent those of the NBA or its clubs.