Huge step forward for Kai

Kai Sotto turns 17 on May 11 and he’s now 7-1. When he was 13, Kai stood at 6-9. There’s a possibility that the Ateneo high school basketball star could grow another inch or two. The probability is higher for an Asian player to break into the NBA if he’s at least 7-0. The roster of Asian NBA players lists 7-3 Ha Seung Jin, 7-0 Wang Zhizhi, 7-0 Yi Jianlian, 7-6 Yao Ming and 7-1 Zhou Qi.

Height, however, isn’t a guarantee of a ticket to the NBA. China’s Sun Mingming tried his luck in the US collegiate and minor leagues hoping to eventually jump to the NBA as a 7-9 center. He never made it to the majors and played instead in Mexico, Japan and China before finally giving up on his NBA dream in 2014. He’s now married to Xu Yan, who’s 6-1, and maybe, his NBA dream will come alive with a son. Satnam Singh, a 7-2 Indian, was picked on the second round by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2015 draft but never made the leap to the NBA.

Kai leaves for Atlanta on April 1 to start a “full-time” basketball training program. There are no details as to who will train Kai or what kind of program he’ll undergo. Clearly, he just can’t be training 12 months in a year without competing in a league on a regular basis. Will he enroll in a US college? Will he play AAU basketball?

The hitch is Kai has done commercial work as an endorser in high school and that’s prohibited in the US for players who aren’t pros. But since he did the work in the Philippines, maybe, the US NCAA may turn the other way and allow an exception. Playing college basketball in the US would be a huge step forward for Kai. The competition will definitely prepare Kai for the NBA which has a one-and-done rule, meaning a potential draftee must go through at least a year in college before applying to turn pro.

Kai’s decision to train in the US means he may have rejected offers to move to Spain or Germany. Last December, Kai and his parents were brought to the two European countries for over a week to check out opportunities. An agent took them around. He received offers from for the entire Sotto family, including two siblings, to relocate to Europe. The offers came with free education for the siblings, free housing for the family and a living allowance.

The Europe offers were tempting. A recent study showed that 83 percent of non-US players in the NBA came directly from European clubs and only 4.3 percent from four years playing in a US NCAA school. The survey looked at the background of 256 foreign players. In Europe, pro prospects are brought to training camp and given pro contracts as young as 15. They’re provided an education while playing. NBA guard Tony Parker, for instance, turned pro in France at 17 in 1999, didn’t go to school in the US and entered the NBA draft in 2001. He was the San Antonio Spurs’ first round pick and today, still plays in the NBA with the Charlotte Hornets. Parker is now 36 and has won four NBA championship rings.

An agent said the road to the NBA for a foreigner is easier via Europe. Five European teams were in line to sign up Kai – Real Madrid, Barcelona, Baskonia, Estudiantes and Alba Berlin. Each club promised a pathway to the NBA where no full-blooded Filipino has ever played. Two Fil-Ams have seen action in the NBA – Raymond Townsend with the Golden State Warriors in 1978-79 and 1979-80 and Indiana Pacers in 1981-82 and Jordan Clarkson, now playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, previously with the Los Angeles Lakers.

A management group from the US has promised to release “the inside track” of details on Kai’s US training “in the coming days.” The information will be released when the details are ready for disclosure. The group is also involved with Clarkson and Gilas naturalized player Andray Blatche.

Although Kai will be in “full-time” training in the US, he’s making himself available for the Philippine national team in whatever competition the SBP wants him to join. The first will be the FIBA U19 World Cup in Greece on June 29-July 7.

Kai said he’s taking this giant step in his life “para sa future ko, ng pamilya ko, at especially, para sa Batang Gilas, Gilas Pilipinas at higit sa lahat, para sa bayan.” He said he’ll “train very hard and sacrifice and focus in the next few years so that one day soon, you will be very proud of me – gagawin ko lahat ng makakaya ko, with the guidance of my Dad and Mom, to be the very best that I can be.”