MANILA – National Basketball Association (NBA) prospect Kai Sotto is set to create a formidable partnership with fellow Filipino Jalen Green after committing to bring his talents to the NBA G League’s select program.
The 7-foot-2 center, who turned 18 yesterday, will be the first international draft prospect to join the elite sports program after he decided to forego college ball, The Athletics’ Shams Charania reported last night.
Aside from Green, Sotto will also team up with high-ranked recruits Isaiah Todd and Daishen Nix in the NBA G-League team based in Southern California which is unaffiliated with any existing NBA teams.
Sotto is expected to earn $500,000 for a five-month season based on the G League Select Contract which allows prospects who are 18-year-old but not yet eligible to play in the NBA to play in the G League.
Sotto took his act to the United States (US) last year in a bid to become the first homegrown Filipino player in the NBA.
He has been training with The Skills Factory in Atlanta, Georgia and has been constantly wooed by giant National Collegiate Athletic Association teams like University of Kentucky, Georgia Tech, DePaul, and University of Auburn, along with European clubs.
Sotto, son of former Philippine Basketball Association center Ervin Sotto, was previously named as the top under-17 big man in Asia and is currently ranked as a four-star recruit in the US./PN
