College scholarship still an option for Kai Sotto despite NBA G League stint
MANILA, Philippines — Kai Sotto is laser-focused on achieving his goal of becoming the first-ever Filipino in the NBA.
Part of the sacrifice of pursuing this dream for Sotto is making difficult decisions — one of which was foregoing a college education to opt for the new professional pathway of the NBA G League.
But what most people might not know is that the developmental league will be giving the 18-year-old Sotto a chance to still complete his education once everything is settled down.
Speaking to the Philippine media on Thursday morning, NBA G League select team coach Brian Shaw revealed that the program actually has plans for Sotto and the rest of his teammates' higher education.
"When they come to our program, if they do make it to the NBA, we still pay for them for four years of college with a program with Arizona State if they ever want to finish their education so that's what a lot of people don't know," Shaw revealed.
This means that if Sotto gets in the work and is drafted into the NBA after his stint with the pro path program, the Filipino cager will have a free ride to college while also working on his basketball.
Apart from the college opportunity after the year-long development program, Sotto will also be receiving significant compensation as part of the team — something that he would miss out on if he had taken up offers from college teams.
"On top of that, they're able to be paid a significant amount of money for this year to play which they wouldn't have been able to get in college," Shaw said.
While each choice brings with it its own advantages and disadvantages, it seems that Sotto will be able to have the best of both worlds in this setup.
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