WITH the NBA 2K24 Summer League now in full swing, all eyes of Filipino basketball fans will be on Kai Sotto after being included in the Orlando Magic roster. The Magic will play Detroit on Saturday (Sunday, Manila time), and the hope back home is that Sotto will see court time in that contest.
Outside Sotto, however, there are still a couple of players that may be familiar to some Filipino fans either with their roots or their stint in the Philippines. We have listed them below, and one stood out among the rest for his time in the country.
KIHEI CLARK
After going undrafted this year, the 26-year-old Clark got an invite to play for the Utah Jazz in the NBA Summer League. Clark is coming off a five-year stint with Virginia in the NCAA, winning the championship in 2019.
Born to a Filipino mother, Clark once played for Fil-Am Sports USA in the NBTC alongside Jalen Green, and also competed against Sotto during the tournament in 2018.
KAMAKA HEPA
Hepa, 23, made it to the New Orleans Pelicans Summer League roster after his collegiate career with Hawaii. During his high school days with Jefferson High, Hepa played in the Philippines through the NBTC in 2017 with Fil-Am Sports USA, taking home the Defensive Player of the Tournament honors.
Hepa represented the United States in the Fiba Americas U18 Championship in 2018 where they won the crown.
RON HARPER JR.
The son of former NBA player Ron Harper is included in the Toronto Raptors’ Summer League team, having a two-way contract with the squad. Born to a Filipino mother, Harper had a notable college career with Rutgers, and played with Raptors 905 in the G League. He was once listed to play for FilAm Sports USA in the NBTC back in 2018 with Jalen Green and Kihei Clark.
MYLES POWELL
Following his stint in the PBA and the EASL, Myles Powell earned a spot in the Houston Rockets Summer League team. He had four points, three rebounds, and two assists in six minutes in the Rockets’ first game against Portland on Saturday.
Powell etched his name to Filipino basketball fans with his explosive scoring ways with the Bay Area Dragons in the PBA, where he once scored 50 points against Rain or Shine in a November 2022 game.
Along with Andrew Nicholson, Powell helped the Dragons reach the finals as a guest team before bowing to Barangay Ginebra for the title in the Commissioner’s Cup.
He later led the Dragons to a third-place finish in the EASL Champions Week in Japan last March.
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