By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Kai Sotto isn’t taking this NBA dream lightly.
The slender Filipino cager just signed with the NBA G League and is a few steps away from being the first Filipino to enter the highest level of competitive basketball in the NBA.
To elevate his game, Sotto flew from the PH to the US with the main desire of taking his talent to a whole new level. Engaging the services of Atlanta-based basketball program The Skills Factory (TSF), Sotto is well on his way towards that dream.
With a year of training in the well-known basketball program, it was not only TSF that helped in Sotto’s development, East West Private, the management that handles him, tapped the services of former NBA sniper, Chuck “The Rifleman” Person.
Person, who had solid stints with the Indiana Pacers, Minnesota Timberwolves, San Antonio Spurs, Charlotte Hornets, and the Seattle Supersonics, had a career living from the rainbow country and finished his 14-year career averaging 36.2% from three.
“Tinulungan niya ako paano maging ready sa shot ko at maging confident. After ng training namin, simula nung naglaro ako sa TSF, dinala ko lang sa laro ko and sa tingin ko naman, maganda ang naging effect,” said Sotto.
With the style of play being employed in the modern NBA, Sotto plans to mold his play style to that of a stretch big as teams look to spread the floor even more.
“Actually, he gave me a lot of confidence to trust my shot kasi ‘yung mga first months na nagte-training kami, pinapatira niya ako sa malayo eh,” reminisced Sotto.
