Philippines star Kai Sotto joins NBL’s Adelaide 36ers ahead of 2022 NBA Draft

The 18-year-old signs after leaving NBA G League Ignite team for Gilas Pilipinas national team duties

Sixers chairman Kelley delighted to have attracted ‘a player of Kai’s potential from Asia, and more recently the United States’

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Filipino basketball star Kai Sotto trains ahead of his NBA G-League Select Team welcoming in Walnut Creek, California. Photo: East-West Private

Published: 12:41pm, 21 Apr 2021Updated: 5:11pm, 21 Apr 2021

Filipino basketball star Kai Sotto confirmed he will join the Adelaide 36ers of Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL) on a multi-year deal ahead of the 2022 NBA Draft.

The former NBA G League Ignite member left the team in February to represent his country at a Fiba Asia Cup qualifying tournament with both parties agreeing to leave the programme by mutual consent.

The 18-year-old told media that he considered the Gilas men’s national team as the “bigger picture”, according to ABS-CBN News. The team face Serbia in the postponed qualifiers.

“Next step on my journey this year. See you soon Australia,” the 7’2” (2.18m) Sotto tweeted alongside a photo of a map of Australia.

Sotto had long been rumoured to enter the 2021 NBA Draft. However, his management said he was not eligible to declare in the first place but will be in 2022.

ABS-CBN also reported that Sotto’s agent, Joel Bell, said NBA teams were interested in drafting the centre before realising he was ineligible.