MANILA, Philippines, June 19 ------ With compatriot Jimmy Alapag watching, Kai Sotto displayed his wares for the Sacramento Kings in a pre-draft workout ahead of the highly-anticipated NBA Rookie Draft next week.
Though coming off an injury last week, Sotto had a solid stint along with other prospects in a bid to boost his draft stock before the rookie rites on June 23 in Brooklyn. Sacramento holds the fourth, 37th and 49th overall pick in the draft proceedings. Sotto, incidentally, landed at No. 49 of the mock draft by Sports Illustrated two weeks ago. The 7-foot-3 Filipino wunderkind was reported to have worked out with the Orlando Magic, the Atlanta Hawks, the New York Knicks, the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers in pursuit of his dream to become the first Filipino homegrown player to make the NBA.
And whether it would be with the Kings or other teams, Sotto can count on the all-out support of Alapag, who is currently an assistant coach for the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s G League affiliate squad. “It’s great to see Kai here in Sacramento. Best of luck on your journey to the NBA. The entire country and I are rooting for you. Keep working,” said Alapag, who is also out to make it to the NBA coaching industry soon.
Should the cards fall in rightful places, Sotto would join the Utah Jazz’s Jordan Clarkson and the Houston Rockets’ Jalen Green as representatives of the Philippines in the world’s premier basketball league. Sotto, 20, had stints in the Australia NBL and NBA G League on top of his FIBA tournaments with Gilas Pilipinas before trying his luck in the NBA.
Source: philstar.com
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