CHICAGO - The long-cuddled dream to see the first full-blooded Filipino play in the NBA just made a giant leap towards reality.
In an exclusive interview, Tony Ronzone of powerhouse agency Wasserman Sports told SPIN.ph that Kai Sotto will be among those who will participate in the Utah Jazz NBA mini-camp from May 30 and 31.
COLUMN: Kai Sotto to play in NBA Summer League
Sotto will be joined by former and current NBA players as well as stars from Europe. Once there, the Gilas Pilipinas mainstay will be the first full-blooded Filipino to be a part of this elite level of organized basketball.
"Kai is already working out in Los Angeles and he will leave for Utah on the 29th," Ronzone said.
Utah missed the playoffs and is still in the middle of a rebuilding from the Donovan Mitchell era. Fil-American guard Jordan Clarkson started for the team last season but is now a free agent for the first time in his NBA career.
Sotto is coming off a brief but meaningful stint in the Japan B.League where he helped take the Hiroshima Dragonflies to the playoffs for the first time by averaging 8.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per in 19 games.
With Wasserman Sports curating his aspirations, NBA doors are now beginning to open for the 21-year old former Ateneo Blue Eaglet.
READ: Clarkson an NBA free agent for first time. Here are his options
Ronzone is a big part of it. Prior to overseeing Kai's progress, Ronzone was the director of player personnel for the Dallas Mavericks and was part of the group that scouted Luka Doncic, whose draft rights the Mavs acquired in 2019 via trade.
Before being hired as the vice president of basketball operations for Wasserman, Ronzone was the director of player personnel for the Detroit Pistons and the former assistant general manager of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Kai's career, it seems, is finally in good hands.
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