Kai’s great potential

PEOPLE with ambitions must be supported to the hilt.

Let’s then throw our full support behind Kai Sotto who, at 7-foot-2, is our own version of Man Mountain.

He will fly shortly to Atlanta, Georgia, USA, to hone his basketball skills as well as tighten his athleticism for two months.

His height is a builtin plus, a gift that can only come from God.

A t barely 15 years of age, Kai has already become a millionaire, inking a three-year, million-peso endorsement contract with Chooks-To-Go, the new “chicken on the block.”

More blessings could come Kai’s way. No surprise there.Through Kai, our basketball success on the world stage is now very much alive.

Absolutely, his ceiling can do wonders in a sport where, yes, height is might.

And will Kai finally become the first Filipino to finally set foot on America’s National Basketball Association (NBA)?

His height might even make Kai conquer the world, so to speak.

The beauty with Kai is he is only 16 years old. That means, he can, will, still grow.

As science, if not nature, has told us repeatedly:We don’t stop growing until age 20, 21. Some even stop growing at 24.

If true, then Kai has four, five, years to reach 7-foot-5.

Even 7-foot-6 maybe? Most people growing as tall as Kai are usually considered a freak of nature— especially in the Philippine setting where the average height is 5-foot-6. Not Kai, I believe.

Look, his genes got him this tall as his parents are also extraordinarily tall.

His father, Ervin, is 6-foot-7 and once played center in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

Kai’s mom is 5-foot-10. Not surprising as, unknown to many, his mom’s roots are Caucasi an.

“Kai’s mom is of American descent,” said Arben Santos, an ardent Kai supporter since Kai’s Ateneo Junior Eagle days.

“That says a lot about Kai’s height.” At least four European teams have expressed interest in recruiting Kai.

If ever he gets to sign up for an overseas stint, the kid is not totally abandoning us. In fact, he will play for the country in the Fiba Under-19 World Cup in Greece on June 29July 7.

Here’s looking at you, kiddo.