Sotto big boost to G-League

MANILA, Philippines — Kai Sotto hooking up with the G-League won’t only enhance the young, talented Filipino’s NBA dream but also the NBA developmental league program as a whole.

In a statement, G-League president Shareef Abdur-Rahim said signing up Sotto with the Select Team is part of the league’s continuing program to include promising international players.

“We’re excited to have Kai and we hope he will be an inspiration for younger players to aspire to be in the NBA,” said Abdur-Rahim.

Aware of how big basketball is in the Philippines, the top G-League official believes Sotto’s presence in the league will further boost the league’s popularity, saying: “It’s exciting for us that folks in the Philippines will follow us and follow Kai.”

The G-League stint of the 7-foot-2, 18-year-old is expected to spark the influx of international talents in the developmental league.

“We think Kai is a great first international player for our program. Hopefully, this is just the start of attracting other international players,” said Abdur-Rahim.

Sotto decided to skip college ball to join Fil-Am swingman Jalen Green and two other high school talents in Southern California in the program aimed at providing an avenue for top prospects who choose to skip college and take a year before they enter the NBA draft.

Saying he still has so much to learn, Sotto joined The Skill Factory, a prep program based in Georgia, USA last year.