Filipino big man Kai Sotto took another major step in his bid to make it to the NBA after being chosen by the Orlando Magic to play in their NBA Summer League team.
After various tryouts with a number of NBA teams, Sotto has done enough to impress the Orlando Magic, with the news of his Summer League inclusion being carried out by NBA.com and confirmed by columnist Quinito Henson.
Sotto will be around when the Summer League gets off in Las Vegas from July 7 to 17.
The NBA Summer League, also known as the Las Vegas Summer League, is an off-season competition organized by the NBA, where teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regular season line-ups, including rookie, sophomore and G League affiliate players.
Sotto has been putting in lot of work to be able to suit up for a team in the NBA lately, joining the minicamps of the Utah Jazz and the Dallas Mavericks, and trying out for the New York Knicks.
Sotto has become a free agent after being undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Last year, Orlando was one of the squads that showed interest and invited Sotto to join in their workouts.
After that, Sotto went on to play for one more season with the Adelaide 39ers in the National Basketball League in Australia, before heading over to the B.League in Japan, with the Hiroshima Dragonflies.
Sotto has averaged 6.81 points and 4.52 rebounds in 27 games played in his final year with the 39ers.
Later, Sotto came up with 8.92 points, 6.08 rebounds, and 1.29 blocks in 24 games playing for the Dragonflies.
Last week, visiting three-time champion assistant coach Phil Handy of the Los Angeles Lakers said that Sotto has the tools to someday make it into the NBA.
The Lakers’ leader in player development, who has coached superstars LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Kahwi Leonard and the late Kobe Bryant, admitted having watched Sotto grow as a player, saying that given the right circumstances, could crack an NBA roster at the right time.
“I believe he’s very talented. I don’t believe in putting timelines on athletes. I’ve had a chance to see him play for a couple of years. He’s naturally gifted. He spent some time down in Australia, and that really helped develop his game,” said Handy, who advised the Filipino player to stay ready when the opportunity comes.