Hey Ballers, it’s a very good day to have you here! DiscoDad is here again to groove some fantastic news to you. Our Filipino Basketball sensation, Kai Sotto, with a towering height of 7’2” and a wingspan of 7’5” has now officially chosen to play for the Adelaide 36ers in Australia for a multi-year deal. Yes, you read it right, Ballers!
As you have read in my previous article, Kai Sotto and his team had a “mutual decision” between his former team, G League Ignite. He was not able to join the G League Bubble due to some quarantine protocols when he arrived in the United States from the Philippines. As the man of his words, Sotto promised to play for the Gilas Pilipinas whenever they needed him and sadly, it was set in February but their game suddenly got cancelled. It was too late for him to catch up for the G League Bubble since it already started when he drove back to the Philippines. If Kai Sotto was able to join their bubble, he would have been just like Principal Singh who had a little time of exposure on the court during their game.
Many of you may have thought that G League Ignite was a great loss for Kai Sotto’s NBA journey. Maybe it is, but this will not stop a player who is eager and motivated to achieve his dreams. He may have been silent for a while but he is now screaming his skills and confidence that we have not seen before. How inspiring that could be? He still has a chance to be drafted and these obstacles will not be a hindrance for an optimist player like him. Kai Sotto, the first Filipino to enter the prestigious Australian National Basketball League (NBL), revealed on Monday that he has signed a multi-year contract to play with the Adelaide 36ers later this year. Sotto will enter the team as a Special Restricted Player on a two-year contract with a third-year option beginning in the 2021-22 season, according to ESPN Australia. NBL teams are allowed to recruit players from Asian countries as locals under the Special Restricted Player policy. As a result, they are not considered imports in a team’s roster.
In recent years, NBA stars LaMelo Ball, and RJ Hampton have played in the Australian NBL as their chosen pathway to prepare for their respective NBA careers. The NBL is considered one of the world’s premier competitive men’s basketball leagues. The 36ers also won the league four times and finished the previous season with a 12-16 record. In the current NBL season, they currently have a 10-14 record. Sotto had recently trained with Amar’e Stoudemire, a six-time NBA All-Star, and Lester Prosper, an Indonesian naturalized player, in Miami, Florida.
Heads up, Ballers! According to the 36ers general manager, Jeff Van Groningen, Sotto’s arrival is expected in August, just in time for the NBL’s preseason.
“Next step on my journey this year. See you soon Australian” Kai Sotto posted on his Twitter account with a Kaiju Global Logo pinned on the Australia’s Map.
“Couldn’t be more excited to have Kai joining us,” said 36ers coach Conner Henry. “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.”
As said by the NBL Commissioner, Jeremy Loeliger, the NBL is one of the greatest leagues in the world, and it’s a fantastic place for players like Kai Sotto to improve their skills by competing against experienced professionals in a highly competitive league. Even the former Gilas Pilipinas Coach and Tropang Giga Coach identifies it to be the “tough league”.
“Kai will taste great competition there – where he won’t be the tallest or most skilled. If he plays well, good. If he struggles, even better. This is a necessary step in the pursuit of his dream.” – Reyes mentioned in a message to ESPN5.com.
NBA DRAFT
Kai Sotto was considered disqualified for the NBA draft in 2021, but he still stands a decent chance of being picked by one of the NBA’s teams.
“Several teams said they were going to draft him. We don’t know what spot yet because we hadn’t got that far… obviously that’s off the table at this point because he’s not eligible for the 2021 Draft.” revealed by Sotto’s agent, Joel Bell.
As the EastWest Private’s Patty Scott said, Soto is eligible after a year of his graduation class in the year 2022. It may seem he has to wait a little longer to be drafted but the best part here ballers is that Kai has more of time to improve and be ready for the 2022 NBA draft.
Stay tuned for more Kai Sotto updates from BallersGear.com.au! Exciting times ahead in the Land Down Under!
