Adelaide 36ers’ Filipino center Kai Sotto was adjudged Asia’s Young Player of the Year 2022, following an online fan voting conducted by the International Basketball Federation or FIBA.
The 7’3” player beat out other Asian contenders Youssef Khayat (Lebanon), Derrick Michael Xzavierro (Indonesia), Yang Hansen (China), Lee JooYeoung (Korea), Yuto Kawashima (Japan) and Mohammad Amini (Iran).
“We’re taking the time to celebrate some of the best in Asia over the past year and letting you decide in a fan vote, who stands out the most,” the FIBA said in an article on its website.
“We start off by celebrating some of the best young men’s basketball players aged 20 or under that we’ve seen in action, ranging from champions to MVPs to players who have been a part of making history for their national teams.”
Sotto took time out from his professional team duties with Adelaide to play a major role in the Gilas Pilipinas’ campaign in the 2023 FIBA World Qualifiers in Manila and Saudi Arabia.
With Sotto in the middle, the Philippine team completed back-to-back wins over Saudi and improved its record at third place in Group E.
Sotto will be back in a Gilas uniform when the team hosts Jordan and Lebanon for the sixth and final window of the qualifiers in February.
With Adelaide, Sotto is beginning to earn the trust of his coach as he helped the 36ers to a four-win streak in Australia’s 45th National Basketball League 2022-23 regular season since becoming a starter with the team. They recently lost to Cairns Taipans, 86-83, though.
The FIBA fan vote, although not an official FIBA award, is aimed at encouraging fans to support their favorite players in 2022.