Mysterious exit
Maybe they realized that he is not yet ready so they easily allowed him to walk away
Kai Sotto’s sudden disappearance from the NBA G League is perhaps one of the biggest mysteries in international basketball.
Since bolting out of the Ignite training camp, nothing much was heard from him except that he was spotted at the arrival area of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on a balmy February night in a white hoodie and a pair of jeans.
He went straight to the Gilas Pilipinas bubble, posted a photo on social media upon arrival and completely disappeared.
Yes, there were reports that he went to the United States following the cancellation of the third window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, but there were no official statement, no photos and no traces that he really flew out of the country to reunite with his NBA G League club.
The people around Kai know what they are doing.
With that, international coaches, scouts and media are probably wondering: How can a 7-foot-3 NBA prospect disappear like that?
He was supposed to be the torchbearer of Philippine basketball, a player who could be Giannis Antetokounmpo at best and Kristaps Porzingis at worse, yet in this time and age of social media and mobile phones, he is nowhere to be found.
What really happened during his bungled stint in the NBA G League?
Why did he leave Ignite to play in a tournament where the Filipinos have a massive chance of winning? Did he really do it to honor his commitment to the country or was it part of an exit plan in case things do not pan out in the United States?
I asked around and what I uncovered was truly intriguing.
Speculations have it that he could have gotten the boot even before Ignite took the flight to Florida to see action in the NBA G League.
After all, he wouldn’t be allowed by the team to easily leave if he really made the final roster. “The people around Kai know what they are doing,” a long-time basketball observer told me.
“They would
definitely not allow Kai to fly out of the United States if he made the final roster of Ignite. Maybe he was given a very limited role like a spot in the reserved list or something so they decided to send him back to Manila and play in the third window, instead.” I thought they like Sotto? “Well, seeing him workout is different from seeing him compete against full-grown men. Maybe they realized that he is not yet ready so they allowed him to walk away easily.”
Another source told me that Sotto’s exit might have something to do with the presence of his Indian teammate, Princepal Singh.
Again, this is just pure speculation, but it could also play a role behind his exit.
The source said the NBA has been itching to penetrate the massive Indian market as part of its expansion program and having the 6-foot-9 Singh developing into a legitimate professional player could be a good start.
So, if ever Brian Shaw and his staff were left to choose between two Asians — Sotto and Singh — the decision would be a no-brainer.
“Like China, India is also a large market which could be part of the NBA’s expansion program. However, basketball is not as popular there as other sports like cricket or football,” the source said while munching popcorn from the other line.
“Remember Satnam Singh? The Dallas Mavericks promised Ray Parks that they would draft him in the second round of the 2015 NBA Draft. But since Singh was still available, the Mavs changed their minds and drafted him, instead.”
Then, the line went off.
The mystery behind Sotto’s NBA G League exit remains unresolved.