Hello Ballers, Discodad is back with some exciting news! Kai Sotto has finally got up to continue his NBA dream. Our proud Pinoy-blooded international player met with the Filipino community in Australia before his time with the Adelaide 36ers in the National Basketball League. He is fitting in nicely to his new life in Australia. The Adelaide 36ers together with Kai will start off the NBL season against the Tasmania JackJumpers. Adelaide will host its first home game against the Brisbane Bullets on December 5 after fighting Tasmania. The 36ers overhauled their lineup in the offseason, bringing in a mix of veterans and young stars. CJ Bruton, a six-time NBL champion, was also hired as the 36ers’ head coach.
The task of confronting Kai Sotto now stands as tall as the G League. He chose the Adelaide 36ers of the NBL in the hopes of gaining significant experience from a league that is known for producing big men as well as its physical play. The Adelaide 36ers take on the Cairns Taipans in the Australia NBL Blitz preseason opener at the MyState Bank Arena, and Kai Sotto gets his first taste of pro basketball. The game started at 15:00 as the 7-foot-3 Filipino phenom aimed to flex his built up muscles ahead of the NBL regular season beginning next month. Adelaide (13-23) and Cairns (8-28) both struggled last season, finishing seventh and ninth, respectively. It will be a fascinating matchup between the two teams looking for redemption this year.
CJ Bruton, the 36ers’ head coach, is making sure that the 7-foot-3 Filipino doesn’t get hurt when the real NBL season starts. Their first match is against Brisbane on December 5.
“I don’t think he won’t be playing much between now and the start of the season but that’s all just building towards him being healthy,” Bruton said. “Him being 19-years-old and a kid, there’s a lot of things that you need to do to look after yourself. We are just making sure that we have the best Kai available for game one and moving forward.”
Sotto made an impression in his Adelaide debut, scoring seven points, grabbing five rebounds, and blocking a shot against Cairns. It also had a tremendous jam that even Bruton was astonished by.
“His movement and play on the floor is stuff I have been expected and seen. He is everything that he is cracked out to be. We will see a lot of great things in the season.”
Bruton has high expectations for Sotto, who will be the backup to Isaac Humphries during the season.
During his NBL time with the Adelaide 36ers, Kai Sotto kept his sights set on becoming the first local Filipino to make it to the NBA.
“The long-term goal is always to make it to the NBA,” Sotto said in a story published on the NBL website.
“Hopefully next year or the following year. That’s the ultimate dream.”
And that is extremely exciting news for Kai. Let’s wait for Kai to soar high as he starts his season this year. See you all Ballers in our next update on Kai Sotto!