G League program to make Sotto, Green primed for NBA

Kai Sotto and Filipino-American Jalen Green are two of the new commits to the NBA G League select program.

Introduced as a new pathway toward the NBA in place of playing in a collegiate level, Sotto and Green will be placed under a development program that will cater to each of their own skills and weaknesses.

"There will be a high emphasis on skill development and training... really looking at transferrable skills," NBA G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim explained to Philippine media via conference call on Thursday.

"Kai as an NBA player, what are the skills he needs to have. Really concentrating on that but at the same time, starting to understand the NBA game... [and] helping them grow and build their bodies in a smart way," he added.

Sotto and Green are set to be exposed to professional coaching that will be a big boost to their NBA dreams.

The two cagers, as well as the others selected for the program, will also be able to compare their skills to higher-level players like NBA G League, national team and NBA academy competitors.

The 7'2" Sotto is aiming to become the first full-blooded Filipino in the NBA while top prospect Green will work to keep his status as a five-star recruit.

Kai Sotto steps closer to NBA dream as 1st Filipino prospect on G League

Kai Zachary Sotto at 18 years old is stepping closer to his dream of becoming the first full-blooded Filipino to join the National Basketball Association (NBA).

The Filipino basketball player who celebrated his birthday on Monday, May 11, 2020, was announced the same day by The Athletic’s Shams Charania to be signing up for the NBA G League Pathway Program.

“Kai Sotto a 7-foot-2 center from the Philippines has decided to skip college and will be the first international draft prospect to sign a deal in the NBA G League pro program, sources tell,” Charania tweeted Monday night.

The UAAP Juniors MVP from the Ateneo High School and Batang Gilas standout is currently in the United States to train in Atlanta, Georgia with The Skill Factory which he led to a recent championship that earned him the Most Valuable Player award.

Kai Sotto has been courted by several top U.S, schools for the NCAA. Joining the NBA G League would mean he is foregoing college to go after his dream to represent the Philippines in the international pro league. The NBA G League pro program brings high school players into professional games and gives them a salary.

The Filipino athlete has been vocal about his mission to be the first homegrown Filipino player to join the NBA.

“There haven’t been any full-blooded Filipino that has been to the NBA, and I just wanna be the first one, and I just wanna show everyone that we can also make it,” Kai Sotto said in a Bleacher Report documentary in March.

Kai Sotto also said that he just wanted to show that the Philippines is part of the basketball world and show just how much the nation loves the sport.

Sotto has sent out appreciation for Filipinos who follow him and his journey, knowing that his fellow Filipinos are supporting and following him and he uses it as a motivation, and inspiration to work even harder.