As the 2022 NBA Draft approaches next week, it’s important to follow the progress of draft hopeful Kai Sotto’s NBA goals, from declaring them to the universe to working out with NBA teams.
25 March 2019: The objective
The significant disclosure was made by Kai Sotto more than three years ago. Sotto traveled to the US to begin his training after earning MVP at the high school level in order to pursue his ultimate dream of becoming an NBA player. On Instagram, Sotto, who was 17 at the time, left a message for his followers. 2019 November 9: improving the abilities
Sotto felt pressured to practice his newly refined techniques on the court after months of training in the US. He made an announcement about joining The Skill Factory, an instructional basketball league in Atlanta. The Skill Factory scrimmages’ high points demonstrated Sotto’s seriousness.
When the 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend came around, Sotto kept up his work in the US and was chosen to attend the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp in Chicago. Former Basketball Without Borders campers Joel Embiid, Pascal Siakam, Deandre Ayton, Rui Hachimura, and Jamal Murray are all NBA players.
The third-overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, LaMelo Ball, began his career in the NBL before transferring to the NBA. 2021-05-13: JC Assist
Sotto’s desire to play in the NBA gains momentum as a result of his NBL career. Jordan Clarkson, the first NBA player of Filipino descent since Raymond Townsend, offered some supportive advice to Sotto in an interview with ESPN:
“All I want to do is tell him to go outside. Put in a lot of effort and don’t limit yourself. The NBA will be there if you just put in the effort and keep working.
1 July 2021: Having fun with Boban
Sotto’s fitness and training mostly consisted of building muscle to get him ready for the battle inside the NBA paint. The closest he ever got to an NBA big-man matchup was a meeting with Dallas Mavericks’ reserve center Boban Marjanovic.
Marjanovic led Serbia with 25 points to a win versus Sotto and the Philippine national team at the 2021 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade. With 10 points, five rebounds, and two blocks, Sotto came prepared to fight.
28 April 2022 is the start date
After a productive rookie season with the Adelaide 36ers–and after three years since he started working on the ultimate goal–Sotto announced that he had declared for the 2022 NBA Draft. May 27, 2022: Team workouts
A month away from the draft, Sotto went on a roadshow to share his talents with a couple of NBA teams. His agent, Joel Bell, said in an interview with NBA Philippines that a team had committed to draft Sotto:
“We have so many teams who want to bring him in for individual workouts and we actually have a commitment from at least one team that said if he stays in the draft, they’ll draft him.” June 15: All in
The deadline to withdraw from the draft was on June 14. By June 15, Sotto’s camp stood firm: the 7-foot-3 hooper from the Philippines would remain in the 2022 NBA Draft.
June 16: Meeting Jimmy Alapag and the Sacramento Kings
A week left before the 2022 NBA Draft, the grind continues for Sotto. Along with other prospects, he worked out with the Sacramento Kings and met with Filipino basketball legend Jimmy Alapag, now an assistant coach for the Kings’ G League affiliate Stockton Kings.