The promise of getting closer to his dreams has attracted Kai Sotto to sign with the G League.
The 18-year-old Sotto said this on his twitter account, almost a week after he became the fourth player to forge a deal with the minor organization of the National Basketball Association's select team for next season.
“Iyun nga, mas maganda na path, iyung G League,” said the 7’2” center from the Philippines and former member of Ateneo Blue Eaglets.
Sotto, who turned 18 after he signed up Wednesday last week, has joined five-star high school recruits Jalen Green, Isaiah Todd and Daishen Nix on the new team.
Recuited by Green, Sotto believes that the competition will make him a better player.
“Magiging competition ito lalo na kapag ang kalaban mo ay iyung may plano rin mag-NBA,” added Sotto.
Sotto is in a team that will have no affiliation with any NBA club or any existing G League franchise.
He went to the United States in April last year, after winning the MVP title in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines junior basketball tournament.
And that's after the Blue Eaglets finished with runner-up honors to the Nazareth School-National University Bullpups.
With his trip getting the needed assistance from businessman-sportsman Ronald Mascarinas of Bounty Fresh Agro Ventures, Inc., Sotto and members of his family went to Georgia.
While there, Sotto spent this past season at a development academy in Atlanta and with no assurance that he will be able to sign up for a scholarship program in the US National Collegiate Athletic Association.
But he still got the attention of Southeastern Conference member schools.
That's before he decided to take the G League's path.
The G League has the goal of preparing players towards the possibility of taking part in the 2021 NBA draft.
The last time Sotto took part in a developmental program was when he participated in the Basketball Without Borders camp in Chicago last February during the NBA All-Star weekend.
