By Venancio Valencia, Jr.
LOS ANGELES - After another year of exposure to international play, Kai Sotto, currently campaigning in the Japan B.League, is expected to make another push to earn an NBA roster this summer.
Sotto is hoping to become the first full-blooded Filipino to make it to the world's top pro basketball league. And at 7-foot-3 and 263 pounds, many observers believe that the former Ateneo High School star has a pretty good chance.
But JImmy Alapag strongly believes that Filipinos who aren't as tall also have a pathway to the NBA.
So why advise does he have to the hoop dreamers out there?
"Just to keep working. I think no matter how much the game evolved whether it was back in the day where it was a big man's game, and now, you look at where the game is transitioning to, and it's our game," said the Sacramento Kings' assistant coach.
"Which I think works out great for Filipinos because, most of us at least, are pretty small in terms of size. So, I just encourage all Filipino athletes to keep working and hopefully we'll see someone here on an NBA court soon."
Alapag made those comments last week during a short interview at the Crypto.com Arena where the Kings faced the Los Angeles Lakers.
Before joining the Kings to pursure a career in coaching, the 46-year old Alapag had his start in the PBA where he was picked 10th overall by TNT in the Rookie Draft.
He played for Talk and Text from 2003 to 2015, winning six PBA titles and earnng two Finals MVP honors and was co-caption of the Gilas Pilipinas team that played in the 2014 Fiba World Cup in Seville, Spain.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
