Filipino hoops fans religiously follow Kai Sotto for a reason. While he was undrafted in the 2022 Draft, he’s still one of the most talented prospects the country produced.
Fans of the Kaiju faithfully followed him when he returned to the Adelaide 36ers for another season of NBL basketball. His second stint in Adelaide wasn’t as long as his first, as he recently announced his intentions to play in Japan.
The 7’3” giant is taking his talents to Hiroshima, where he will play for the Hiroshima Dragonflies in the B League. He joins the growing Filipino contingency in Japan’s top pro basketball league.
広島ドラゴンフライズは、2022-23シーズンにおいて #カイソット 選手との契約に新たに合意しましたのでお知らせいたします。
詳細はこちら↓https://t.co/sxAXgHMWTL@kzsottolive #ドラゴンフライズ #Bリーグ #バスケ pic.twitter.com/K1AsJRF40c
— 広島ドラゴンフライズ (@HIROSHIMADFLIES) February 7, 2023
Sotto averaged 6.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 0.78 blocks in almost 13 minutes a game. If you look at his 27-game run for Adelaide, it’s understandable why he’s chosen to take his talents up to the Land of the Rising Sun.
OKBET fans hope Sotto gets more minutes in Japan compared to his Australian tour. While he became a starter for the 36ers, his minutes are less than enough to have decent productivity.
His situation in the NBL is far from ideal for a player trying to make the NBA through the Summer League. While his NBL stats were decent, he needs to make more of an on-court impact to grab the attention of scouts and analysts who are always looking for fringe players to improve their rosters.
Sotto was also quick to thank Adelaide and the 36ers for the support they gave him during his two years down under.
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Kai Sotto Receives Nod From Filipino Fans
Looking at Sotto’s stats, it’s understandable that he won’t be getting any meaningful individual awards. However, Australia has a decently-sized Filipino population that constantly watched Sotto’s 36ers whenever given a chance.
This Filipinos down under ensured he got the Fans MVP for a second straight season before he left Australian basketball. The league nodded to the cager’s popularity in their celebratory post of the player.
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There’s also a good number of Filipinos in Japan. Kai Sotto can expect equal levels of support from his compatriots there.
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