Soto dreams of entering the NBA.
In an interview with ‘Play It Right TV’ on the 10th (hereinafter Korean time), Kai Soto, the Philippine national team center, talked about his NBA challenge and expectations for participating in the World Cup.
Soto is a promising prospect in the Asian basketball world beyond the Philippines. Standing tall at 218cm, which is rare in Asia, Soto, a big man born in 2002, still has unlimited potential for growth.
Even for Soto, who has excellent physical condition, the NBA door did not open easily.
Soto chose the G-League Ignite instead of the NCAA stage. However, he could not play a single game for Ignite due to the aftermath of Corona 19, and joined Adelaide in the Australian League and recorded averages of 7.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in the 2021-2022 season.
Soto, who participated in the NBA draft after playing one season in Australia, was unfortunately dropped without being nominated by the clubs. Afterwards, Soto, who continued his playing career in Australia, signed a contract with Hiroshima Dragonfly of the B. League in February of this year and entered Japan.
After his debut season in Hiroshima, Soto recently agreed a contract extension with the club. However, his will to challenge the NBA is still strong. Hiroshima’s general manager also said, “There is an option for Kai Soto to sign with an NBA club, so if he signs with an NBA club this summer, there is a possibility that his contract with our club will be terminated.”
After signing the contract, Soto expressed his gratitude to the club, saying, “I am grateful to the club for giving me this opportunity and I am happy to have the opportunity to play in Japan next season.” I will try hard,” he said.
Soto is currently busy participating in mini-camps for several teams to be named to the Summer League roster in July. He has already appeared at mini camps in Dallas, Utah, and will soon be attending mini camps in New York.
Soto’s agent said, “Usually players do one or two mini-camps, but Soto was lucky enough to participate in three mini-camps. I got my chance and I’m competing fiercely with other hungry players.”
Soto was included in the roster of the Philippine national team. However, if he does participate in the summer league, he is unlikely to join Lithuania’s training camp in the Philippines, where they play friendly matches against European teams. Still, Soto stressed that he won’t face any major setbacks for the World Cup, which opens in late August.
“The summer league is in mid-July and the World Cup is at the end of August. I think we have plenty of time. Right now we are focusing on our mini-camp schedule. We will focus everything on the summer league and try to advance to the NBA,” Soto said. After the summer league is over, I plan to put a lot of effort into the World Cup.”안전놀이터
He continued, “The World Cup will be the biggest opportunity and the highest level of competition I’ve ever played in my career. I will meet the best of the best in the world at the World Cup. I tremble every time I think about it and I’m really looking forward to it.” .
Will Soto, who hasn’t given up on his NBA challenge, be able to fulfill his dream? If he shows good skills in the summer league, NBA teams are expected to pay much more attention to him.