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Kai Sotto chooses G League over college, says US media

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<p>Teenage basketball prospect Kai Sotto has chosen to skip college and instead will sign up with the NBA G League, US media reported on Monday.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Kai Sotto — a 7-foot-2 center from the Philippines — has decided to skip college and will be the first international draft prospect to sign a deal in the NBA G League pro program, sources tell <a href="https://twitter.com/TheAthleticNBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheAthleticNBA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Stadium?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Stadium</a>.</p>— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1259833152803127296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 11, 2020</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Sotto, who turns 18 today, is joining the new G League team in Southern California alongside Jalen Green, Isaiah Todd and Daishen Nix. NBA’s enhanced pro development program gaining international talent. <a href="https://t.co/erlFyHqT0s">https://t.co/erlFyHqT0s</a></p>— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1259833742455189504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 11, 2020</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>Sotto thus followed in the footsteps of US-based Filipino player Jalen Green, who made history by becoming the first top prospect to pick the G League&#x27;s freshly revamped professional pathway program over the traditional route offered by the US NCAA Division 1 schools.</p><p>The 7-foot-2 Sotto, who has been training in Atlanta since March last year, had been courted by several Division 1 teams and remained among the most coveted names based on scouting reports.</p><p>There were <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/04/22/20/nba-g-league-setting-sights-on-kai-sotto-says-report" target="_blank">reports</a> as far back as mid-April that Sotto had set his sights on the G League.</p><p>Veteran NBA coach <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/04/28/20/kai-sotto-already-has-nba-skill-set-says-pacers-bayno" target="_blank">Bill Bayno</a> said he believes Sotto has the makings of an NBA-caliber player.</p><p>&quot;Hopefully, he&#x27;s training on the other stuff and how physical the NBA game is,&quot; said Bayno, currently part of the Indiana Pacers coaching staff. </p><p>&quot;But Kai may be your first. He may be the first Filipino (in the NBA).&quot;</p><p>According to ESPN, the reshaped G League program will group elite prospects on one team and pay them each at least $500,000, while serving as a one-year development program before they are eligible to enter the NBA draft.</p><p>Per ESPN, the program was bolstered after urging from NBA commissioner Adam Silver, who wanted the G League to interest players that might try to play professionally outside America.</p><p>The new G League system quadruples the previous player salary ($125,000) and will provide financial incentives for participation in games, community events and life skills programs, according to ESPN. </p><p>The development team will focus on training and exhibition games, facing G League teams — about 10 to 12 games — but also international and academy teams. <strong>— With a report from Reuters </strong></p><p>For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com" target="_blank">ABS-CBN Sports website</a>.</p>

<p>Teenage basketball prospect Kai Sotto has chosen to skip college and instead will sign up with the NBA G League, US media reported on Monday.<br /> </p>

Teenage basketball prospect Kai Sotto has chosen to skip college and instead will sign up with the NBA G League, US media reported on Monday.