KAI Sotto's trailblazing move to the Adelaide 36ers will make the 7-foot-3 center the first Filipino to play in the National Basketball League (NBL) in Australia.
The deal fell under the Special Restricted Player rule, which was aimed at fostering better relations between Australia and the rest of the Fiba Asia region.
But this recent development shouldn't come as a surprise given how young Filipino players have been making their mark overseas.
Just look at the year that was.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic putting Philippine basketball at a screeching halt last year, bright, youthful have spread their wings internationally.
Thirdy Ravena became the first Filipino to play in the B.League in Japan, with the former Ateneo high-flyer suiting up for the San-En NeoPhoenix.
Just across the border from Australia, Far Eastern University players saw action in the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL), with Ken Tuffin signing with the Wellington Saints and Joseph Nunag agreeing to a deal with the Franklin Bulls this upcoming season. They were teammates for the Taranaki Mountainairs last year.
University of the Philippines star Kobe Paras recently returned to the United States, too, signing with East West Private as he explores his opportunities there.
And of course, Jack Animam made her mark as an import for Shih Hsin University, leading the Tigers to back-to-back titles in the University Basketball Association (UBA) in Taiwan.
That's why for Sotto's agent Joel Bell, it won't be much of a surprise if more Filipino talents head overseas in the near future.
"I’ve been very impressed for many, many years with the Filipino players," said the American agent. "I grew up playing basketball against Billy Ray Bates, who was one of the legends of Filipino basketball. And I’ve always been really impressed with the Filipino passion for basketball."
To Bell, Sotto could just be the first of many who can explore this path.
The NBL, which has already established itself as one of the best pro leagues in the world, has been more welcoming to its Asian neighbors through the Special Restricted Player rule, where NBL teams are allowed to enlist Asian players that will be categorized as locals and not as imports.
The B.League has also did this with its Asian Players Quota, allowing teams to sign players from the Philippines, China, Korea, Chinese Taipei, and Indonesia and will count them as locals.
Meanwhile, the Korean Basketball League (KBL) only has the rule for Japanese players, although pundits expect it to be expanded to more nations in the future.
With that in mind, one can't blame Bell for projecting more Filipino players to head overseas.
"I can foresee definitely Filipino players in the future going many places around the world in the top leagues," he said. "But to me, Kai is the best one."
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