Amjyot Singh
{{short description|Indian professional basketball player (born 1992)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2017}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Amjyot Singh
| image = Amjyot Singh.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Singh with the Indian national team in 2013
| league =
| team =
| number =
| position = Power forward / small forward
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 8
| weight_lb = 229
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1992|1|27}}
| birth_place = Chandigarh, India
| nationality = Indian
| high_school =
| college =
| draft_year = 2014
| career_start = 2015
| career_end =
| years1 = 2015–2016
| team1 = Tokyo Excellence
| years2 = 2016–2017
| team2 = Delhi Capitals
| years3 = 2017–2018
| team3 = Oklahoma City Blue
| years4 = 2019
| team4 = Wisconsin Herd
| years5 = 2019-2022
| team5 = Punjab
| years6 = 2023-present
| team6 = The Times International Club
| highlights =
- National Basketball Championship winner (2019)[https://www.sportskeeda.com/basketball/70th-national-championship-punjab-men-railways-women-champions 70th National Basketball Championship: Punjab men and Railways women repeat as champions] Gopalakrishnan R (Sportskeeda), 1 April 2020. Accessed 13 August 2021.
| medaltemplates =
{{Medal|Sport|Men's basketball}}
{{Medal|Country|{{IND}}}}
{{Medal|Competition|Lusophony Games}}
}}
Amjyot Singh Gill (born January 27, 1992) is an Indian professional basketball player. He has previously played for the Tokyo Excellence of the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) and the Delhi Capitals of the UBA Pro Basketball League. He and Amritpal Singh became the first Indian male to sign a professional basketball contract abroad.
At 6 ft 8 in (2.04m), Singh is primarily a forward and has regularly competed with India on the international stage, playing in several editions of the FIBA Asia Championship. A native of Chandigarh, he was trained at the Ludhiana Basketball Academy in Ludhiana while playing for the Punjab state team. Early in his career, Singh spent several years with local teams in Punjab and Tamil Nadu, winning the Senior National Basketball Championship multiple times.
Early life and career
Singh was born on 27 January 1992 in a jat Sikh family in Chandigarh. His mother Nirmal Kaur was an athlete, while his father Mohinder Singh was sub-inspector of the Chandigarh Police and a former member of the India national basketball team.{{cite web|last1=Sharma|first1=Ashutosh|title=India's Amjyot Singh selected by Oklahoma City Blue in 2017 NBA G League Draft|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/other-sports/india-s-amjyot-singh-selected-by-oklahoma-city-blue-in-2017-nba-g-league-draft/story-oMzkMeJCCLcEIyvxzcOQgJ.html|website=Hindustan Times|accessdate=26 October 2017|date=22 October 2017}}{{cite web|first1=R.|last1=Gopalakrishnan|title=Amjyot Singh Gill- The Sultan of Swat|url=http://ekalavyas.com/2014/12/08/amjyot-singh-gill-sultan-swat/|website=Ekalavyas|accessdate=15 November 2016|date=8 December 2014}}{{cite web|last1=Raymond|first1=Jonathan|title=Amjyot Singh: India's globetrotting basketball star with sights on the NBA D-League|url=http://www.thenational.ae/sport/nba/amjyot-singh-indias-globetrotting-basketball-star-with-sights-on-the-nba-d-league|website=The National|accessdate=15 November 2016|date=30 October 2016}} Amjyot started out by playing cricket, the most popular game in India, and he was mainly a bowler.{{cite web|last1=Basu|first1=Suromitro|title=Amjyot Singh: The meteoric rise of Indian basketball's future superstar|url=https://cricket.yahoo.com/news/amjyot-singh-meteoric-rise-indian-120414618.html|website=Yahoo! Cricket|publisher=Sportskeeda|accessdate=15 November 2016|date=10 September 2015}}{{cite web|last1=Siwach|first1=Vinay|title=Amjyot Singh–The cager who wanted to bowl fast|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/sports/sport-others/fiba-asia-championship-2015-amjyot-singh-a-cager-who-wanted-to-bowl-fast/|website=The Indian Express|accessdate=15 November 2016|date=1 October 2015}} In high school, an injury prevented him from playing cricket for three months. During the time, Singh's interest of basketball grew, and his father and coach advised him to switch. He joined his high school team in 2007.{{cite web|last1=Madhok|first1=Karan|title=Ascent of Amjyot: Amjyot Singh's rapid journey to become the superstar that Indian basketball desperately needed|url=http://ekalavyas.com/2015/10/14/ascent-of-amjyot-amjyot-singhs-rapid-journey-to-become-the-superstar-that-indian-basketball-desperately-needed/|website=Ekalavyas|accessdate=15 November 2016|date=14 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170114172834/http://ekalavyas.com/2015/10/14/ascent-of-amjyot-amjyot-singhs-rapid-journey-to-become-the-superstar-that-indian-basketball-desperately-needed/|archive-date=14 January 2017|url-status=dead}} Singh said, "In all honesty, I didn't even know the rules of basketball or even thought of playing the sport ever."
By 2008, Singh was promoted to the state team and the national under-16 team. He also joined the prestigious Ludhiana Basketball Academy in Ludhiana, Punjab. The Punjab state-run academy has trained many of India's top players, such as Satnam Singh Bhamara, Amritpal Singh, and Jagdeep Singh.{{cite web|last1=Duggal|first1=Saurabh|title=Dirty picture: A peek into the academy where Satnam got training|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/other/dirty-picture-a-peek-into-the-academy-where-satnam-got-training/story-Oc88ovoHMCeVstELEAVjLP.html|website=Hindustan Times|accessdate=17 November 2016|date=29 June 2015}} With Ludhiana, Amjyot was coached by S. Subramanian. Singh, in 2010, led Punjab to a junior national basketball title as its captain.{{cite web|last1=Sharma|first1=Nitin|title=Amjyot Singh picked in NBA G League draft: 'It is a special day for us… prayed for Amjyot's success in the draft'|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/sports/chandigarh-basketball-player-picked-in-nba-draft-it-is-a-special-day-for-us-prayed-for-amjyots-success-in-the-draft-4900973/|website=The Indian Express|accessdate=27 October 2017|date=22 October 2017}} In March 2011, his Ludhiana team was defeated by Punjab Police Jalandhar at the Shaheed-e-azam Bhagat Singh Punjab Games championship.{{cite web|last1=Datt|first1=Anil|title=Ludhiana girls win gold|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110306/sports.htm|website=The Tribune|accessdate=17 November 2016|date=5 March 2011}}
Singh won the 2012 Senior National Basketball Championship with Punjab, helping defeat Tamil Nadu by 8 points.{{cite web|last1=Teja|first1=Gaga K.|title=Basketball: Punjab team champs|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120102/sports.htm|website=The Tribune|accessdate=26 October 2017|date=1 January 2012}} In May 2012, he was selected to play at the third edition of the India Basketball All-Star Showcase in Mumbai.{{cite web|title=Indian Basketball's All Star Showcase to tip off in Mumbai|url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/basketball/indian-basketballs-all-star-showcase-to-tip-off-in-mumbai|website=SportsKeeda.com|accessdate=26 October 2017|date=3 May 2012}} In 2013, Singh left Punjab to join Tamil Nadu at the Senior National Basketball Championship. However, he was unable to play because he did not receive a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to compete for Tamil Nadu. Without Singh, they were defeated by his old team in the semifinal round.{{cite web|title=Review: Uttarakhand defeat Punjab at 63rd Basketball Nationals|url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/basketball/review-uttarakhand-defeat-punjab-at-63rd-basketball-nationals|website=SportsKeeda.com|accessdate=27 October 2017|date=8 March 2017}} At the same event in 2014, Singh was forced to sit out again after suffering five fractures to his nose during the tournament. Despite his absence, his Tamil Nadu team won the title.
Professional career
In the summer of 2015, Singh took part in the BJ Challenge Summer League in Japan, where he played for Hyogo Impulse, the developmental team to the Hyogo Storks, in pursuit of a professional contract.{{cite web|title=Amjyot Singh and Amrit Pal Singh get chosen to play for Japan's National Basketball Summer League|url=http://sportswire.in/amjyot-singh-and-amrit-pal-singh-get-chosen-to-play-for-japans-national-basketball-summer-league/|website=SportsWire.in|accessdate=29 October 2017|date=10 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171030003318/http://sportswire.in/amjyot-singh-and-amrit-pal-singh-get-chosen-to-play-for-japans-national-basketball-summer-league/|archive-date=30 October 2017|url-status=dead}} He saw immediate success in his first week with his team at the summer league.{{cite web |last1=Judge |first1=Shahid |title=Travel and tales of India's basketball giants |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/sport-others/indian-basketball-nba-palpreet-singh-brar-japan-amyjot-gill-amritpal-singh-4624124/ |publisher=The Indian Express |accessdate=4 August 2018 |date=23 April 2017}} On 25 August 2015, he signed a one-year contract with the Tokyo Excellence of the National Basketball Development League (NBDL), the second-tier league in Japan.{{cite web|title=Indian cagers Amjyot, Amritpal to play in Japans National Basketball Development League|url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/basketball/indian-cagers-amjyot-amritpal-play-japans-national-basketball-development-league|website=SportsKeeda.com|accessdate=29 October 2017|date=25 August 2015}} Singh and former Hyogo teammate Amritpal Singh, who joined the Excellence at the same time, became the first Indian men's players to play in a professional basketball league outside of India. He finished the season averaging 18 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 blocks per game.{{cite web |title=Amjyot Singh basketball profile |url=https://basketball.eurobasket.com/player/Amjyot_Singh/Japan/Tokyo_Excellence/204941 |publisher=Eurobasket.com |accessdate=4 August 2018}}
On 17 March 2018 he was waived by the Oklahoma City Blue,{{cite web|title=2017-2018 Oklahoma City Blue Transactions History|url=https://basketball.realgm.com/dleague/teams/Oklahoma-City-Blue/38/Transaction-History/2018|website=RealGM.com|accessdate=15 April 2018}} but was re-signed five days later.
National team career
Singh made his first international appearance for India with the under-16 national basketball team at the Children of Asia Games in Yakutia, Russia. In the following years, he played with the under-18 team and was soon promoted to the senior national team.
Singh made his first appearance for the senior team at the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship in Wuhan, China. In his debut on 15 September 2011, he recorded 2 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 blocks vs. Lebanon. At the event, Singh most notably posted a double-double of 13 points and a team-high 12 rebounds against Malaysia.{{cite web|title=Amjyot Singh Gill Player Profile|url=https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Amjyot-Singh-Gill/Summary/28931|website=RealGM|accessdate=27 October 2017}}{{cite web|title=Amjyot Singh Gill Game Logs|url=https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Amjyot-Singh-Gill/GameLogs/28931/Special/2012|website=RealGM|accessdate=27 October 2017}} Singh averaged 6.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game mostly coming off the bench, but India would lose all four of their games.
In June 2013, Singh helped the India national basketball team earn a bid for the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship in Metro Manila, Philippines, scoring 13 points in a win over Afghanistan at the qualifying round of the SABA Championship.{{cite web|title=India qualify for Fiba Asia Championship|url=http://www.asia-basket.com/Afghanistan/news/319161/India-qualify-for-Fiba-Asia-Championship|website=Eurobasket.com|accessdate=26 October 2017|date=5 June 2013}} At the FIBA Asia Championship, Singh took on a starting role for the Indian team, averaging 9.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks en route to a 2–6 record.{{cite web|title=Amjyot Singh Game Logs|url=https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Amjyot-Singh-Gill/GameLogs/28931/Special/2014|website=RealGM|accessdate=27 October 2017}} India suffered an overtime loss to Bahrain in their opening game, as Singh scored 16 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.{{cite web|title=2013 FIBA Asia Championship: Bahrain comes back from nine down, shocks India in overtime|url=http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/sports/basketball/320229/2013-fiba-asia-championship-bahrain-comes-back-from-nine-down-shocks-india-in-overtime/story/|website=GMA Network|accessdate=27 October 2017|date=1 August 2013}}
Singh represented India at the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship in Changsha, China where he recorded most minutes, points, rebounds and blocks for his team. He was the tournament's overall second-best scorer.[https://www.fiba.basketball/asia/2015/player/Gill-Singh-Amyjot 2015 FIBA Asia Championship – Amjyot Singh's profile], FIBA.com, accessed 11 February 2016. Later on he went on to represent India at the 2016 Williams Jones Invitational Cup{{Cite web|url=http://basketballfederationindia.org/index.php/on-the-court/national-teams/211-2016-38th-william-jones-cup-international-basketball-tournament|title=Basketball Federation of India - 38th William Jones Cup International Basketball Tournament 2016|publisher=Basketball Federation of India|accessdate=12 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170412022418/http://www.basketballfederationindia.org/index.php/on-the-court/national-teams/211-2016-38th-william-jones-cup-international-basketball-tournament|archive-date=12 April 2017|url-status=dead}} followed by the 2016 FIBA Asia Challenge. Singh is also the first Indian national to participate in the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Finals. In 2016, he starred in the FIBA Asia Challenge, where he averaged 12.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 0.6 blocks. He led the tournament in free-throw percentage.{{Cite web|url=http://basketballfederationindia.org/index.php/news/latest-news/243-after-reaching-top-7-in-asia-bfi-president-announces-cash-prize-to-indian-men-s-basketball-team-india-s-big-three-among-asia-s-best|title=Basketball Federation of India - After reaching top 7 in Asia, BFI President announces cash prize to Indian men's basketball team; India's 'Big Three' among Asia's Best|publisher=Basketball Federation of India|access-date=27 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027134027/http://basketballfederationindia.org/index.php/news/latest-news/243-after-reaching-top-7-in-asia-bfi-president-announces-cash-prize-to-indian-men-s-basketball-team-india-s-big-three-among-asia-s-best|archive-date=27 October 2016|url-status=dead}}
In July 2016, Singh competed at the William Jones Cup for India. He entered the tournament expected to be one of his team's top scorers.{{cite web|title=Amjyot returns to India squad for William Jones Cup|url=http://www.asia-basket.com/William-Jones-Cup/news/455122/Amjyot-returns-to-India-squad-for-William-Jones-Cup|website=Eurobasket.com|accessdate=27 October 2017|date=22 July 2016}}
See also
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mzQCLqtvgs Singh's 32 points & 11 rebounds against Palestine - 2015 FIBA Asia Championship] YouTube.com video
- [http://basketball.eurobasket.com/player/Amjyot_Singh/Japan/Tokyo_Excellence/204941 Asia-basket.com profile]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Amjyot}}
Category:Asian Games competitors for India
Category:Basketball players at the 2014 Asian Games
Category:Basketball players from Punjab, India
Category:Forwards (basketball)
Category:Indian expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Category:Indian expatriates in Japan
Category:Indian men's basketball players
Category:Oklahoma City Blue players
Category:Basketball players from Chandigarh