Despite being only the fourth Indian to be selected in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Prince Pal Singh now wants to serve in Punjab Police. Unfortunately, the NBA sensation is yet to get a job offer from the state government.
The 20-year-old who is 6-ft 10-inch tall was selected for the NBA Summer League in August this year based on his commendable performance in NBA-G league Ignite.
After returning from Los Angeles 10 days back having clinched the NBA Summer League championship for his club SAC, Prince is yet to garner the attention of the Punjab sports authorities.
Talking to Hindustan Times, Prince said, “I have many job offers from various parts of the country including Indian Air force, but I want to serve in Punjab Police. Unfortunately, even after achieving the feat, I am unable to get the attention of the state government as no one has offered me any job here.”
‘Players need to feel secure’
Pitching the same, general secretary of the Punjab Basketball Association, Teja Singh Dhaliwal, said that the government needed to understand that players were the real life heroes and not the management. “Financial support is important for the growth of players and to strengthen the foundation of a player from the initial stage. Our country has forgotten many such heroes. Future of our players should be secured and they should be insured by the government with respectable jobs so that they feel secure,” said Dhaliwal.
Prince feels that even though the sport was gaining popularity in India since NBA had started organising tournaments, there was still a need for the government to pitch in and play a pivotal role in uplifting the game in the country.
{{/usCountry}}Prince feels that even though the sport was gaining popularity in India since NBA had started organising tournaments, there was still a need for the government to pitch in and play a pivotal role in uplifting the game in the country.
{{/usCountry}}“Government should organise special league tournaments in India like we have IPL for cricket as playing with international stars will boost the local talent,” he added.
‘Watching Lebron play was dream come true’
Rising from a small village of Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab’s Gurdaspur, meeting NBA legends like Lebron James was a dream come true for Prince: “I am grateful to my coaches Jaipal Singh, Harjinder Singh and to Teja Singh Dhaliwal, for polishing my talent here at the academy because of which I could reach NBA. Watching the likes of Lebron play in front of my eyes was nothing less than a dream come true.”
Sharing his four-year journey playing the game, Prince revealed that he was 16 when he reached Guru Nanak Stadium in Ludhiana and It was the first time ever that he saw a basketball ground.
Prince is inspired by his own local teammate and a senior basketball player from the academy, Palpreet Singh Brar, who also played for NBA before him. Giving a message for budding players, Prince said that players needed to remain determined and focused in order to live their dreams.
The district sports officer (DSO), Ravinder Singh, commenting on the issue said that the government would be happy to offer a job to Prince. “Since he brought laurels to the country, Punjab government will be happy to offer him a job. There is a procedure for hiring players which may take some time.”