FROM the United States to the Land Down Under.
Kai Sotto, who is bidding to become the first homegrown Filipino to gain a foothold in the NBA, is set to bring his act to the National Basketball League of Australia.
Sotto and his camp announced yesterday that the 7-foot-3 center has signed a multi-year deal with Adelaide.
Despite drawing criticisms for falling to suit up for Ignite in the NBA G League, Sotto said he remains firm on his goal of making it to the NBA.
“After G-League’s Ignite (stint), it’s still tough dahil sa lahat ng nangyari. After noon, sobrang happy ako na iyong group of people around me ay tinulungan talaga ako na mag-stay lang sa path ko, mag-focus pa rin kasi kung ibang tao iyon, ibang player iyon, baka mag-give up na sila sa sobrang daming challenges and mga problema,” Sotto said in an exclusive roundtable interview via Zoom with Filipino reporters where he was also introduced as new brand ambassador of Smart.
“Pero ako hindi ko masyadong inisip iyon kaya nag-continue lang ako to do kung ano iyong best para sa akin. Nag-continue ako to work and minotivate ko ang sarili ko at huwag isipin iyong ibang bagay, kaya nag-i-improve ako ngayon dahil sa mga past na pinagdaanan ko,” he added.
Sotto, 18, will join the 36ers as a Special Restricted Player, a ruling that allows NBL teams to link up with players from Asian countries as locals.
Adelaide coach Conner Henry is convinced Sotto, who will become the first Filipino to play in Australia’s NBL, will be a big boost to his team.
“Couldn’t be more excited to have Kai joining us,” Henry said. “I got to know him a little bit, and we explained our structure going forward and we thought he would be an ideal fit for us.”
A nine-team field, the NBL season usually runs from October to March and has produced several NBA players such as Luc Longley and Andrew Bogut in the past, and recently LaMelo Ball, and RJ Hampton.
Sotto will also play for Gilas Pilipinas in the FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament from June 29 to July 4 in Belgrade, Serbia, and in the Asia Cup from Aug. 16 to 28 in Indonesia.
“I’d like to announce that I’m very excited and very honored to be joining he Gilas national team that will be playing in the OQT and FIBA Asia Cup,” he said. “Alam natin na pag sinabing Kai Sotto, ito iyong batang naglalaro para sa bansa niya. Ito ang goal ko.”
Sotto was supposed to see action for Ignite but opted to return to the country and play for Gilas in the third window of the Asia Cup qualifiers last February in Clark before it was canceled, and the hosting was given to Doha.
Doha’s hosting of the final window of the qualifiers was called off due to the outbreak of the new strain of the deadly COVID-19, however.
While Clark was given back the hosting duties by the FIBA, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas has yet to get the green light from the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging and Infectious Diseases for the last leg of the qualifiers.
