Sotto dreams of becoming an NBA All Star

It's no secret that Filipino basketball phenom Kai Sotto is angling to play in the NBA.

He said he envisions himself becoming the first homegrown Pinoy strutting his wares on basketball's biggest stage.

"I imagine myself to be a part of a great organization... I will do everything I can to be an All Star, to prove that I can be a great player and to represent Asia," the towering Pinoy said in an interview on Noli Eala's "Power and Play" over the weekend.

"Five years from now, I want to be the best from Asia also being a Filipino and represent the Philippines. Five years from now, that's the dream."

The 7-foot-2 center will play in the NBA G League in the hopes of sharpening his skills with the help of NBA-caliber coaches and players.

• READ: Kai Sotto skills similar to Nikola Jokic, says G League coach

But apart from pursuit his NBA dreams, Sotto said he also wants to become an inspiration for others.

"I just want to be an example, be a leader to a lot of people especially Filipino who will follow my path. First, I want to focus on myself to be a great player myself then share what I can... Inspire some people, that's my dream, to be the one that can help other people to strive for their dreams," Sotto said.

When asked about the comparisons to NBA star Nikola Jokic, the Serbian big man who plays for the Denver Nuggets, he said he was flattered.

"It's a big thing for me to be compared to Nikola Jokic because we all know how a great a player he is," said Sotto.

"But there's a lot of things for me to learn to be as good as him, so that's my goal -- to be not exactly like Nikola Jokic but to be as good as him, if that makes sense."