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    PBA great Manny Paner urges Kai Sotto to train with former NBA bigs

    Training with the likes of Olajuwon may be costly, but will be worth it, says Paner
    Jul 19, 2022
    Manny Paner, PBA
    PHOTO: PBA Images

    MANNY Paner, one of the PBA’s 25 Greatest Players and once one of the league’s premier big men, believes Kai Sotto is still a bit raw to play in the NBA.

    More seasoning is needed by the young 7-foot-3 Filipino and if it is not too much, according to Paner, why not tap a former NBA big man to help Sotto further hone his skills.

    It may be a bit costly, but worth it, he said.

    “Si Kai hilaw pa,” said Paner, now 73.

    “Maganda kumuha sila ng retired (NBA) center na magtuturo and mag-aalalay sa kanya,” he said, even suggesting the name of former NBA MVP and two-time champion Hakeem Olajuwon.

    Kai Sotto

    “Madami naman 'yan. Mahal nga lang, pero kung malaki naman ang maitu-tulong sa kanya."

    Paner, part of the original team of the San Miguel franchise that carried the Royal Tru-Orange brand during the 1975 inaugural season, said he’s been keenly observing Sotto’s bid to become the first full-blooded Filipino to play in the NBA from a distance.

    The 20-year-old Sotto applied in the NBA draft last month, but went undrafted.

    Paner, the center in the PBA's first Mythical Team and a dominant big man despite being undersized during his prime, said it would have been better had Sotto opted to wait for another year before applying in the NBA draft.

    [See Kai Sotto parts with agent Joel Bell]

    He added the towering Filipino needed to further improve his quickness and speed on both ends.

    “Medyo mabagal pa e,” said the big man from Cebu. “Kung mabilis siya, tingin ko nag-NBA na yan.

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    “Wala pa tayong center na mabilis. Kaya dapat bilis ang isa sa tinuturo.”

    He recalled how players during his time, especially the bigs, would do cross-training alongside some of country’s top tracksters to develop their speed.

    Paner disclosed the time he tried to develop his quickness by training with Asian Games veteran and Olympian sprinter Rogelio ‘Roger’ Onofre, a two-time Asiad gold medalist as part of the men’s 4x100 meter relay team, who was part of the latest batch of inductees to the Philippine Sports Hall of Fame.

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      “Sa 100-meter [dash], ang naging time ko 11.5 seconds,” said the 6-foot-2 Cebuano.

      Paner added Sotto should also be taught how to play physical inside, especially with his height, although he needs to bulk up a little bit.

      “Matapang naman yung bata, kaya dapat sanayin din sa banggaan,” he said.

      After going undrafted and skipping the NBA Summer League, Sotto decided to change his management team and signed with LA-based agency Wasserman, which also handles the careers of NBA stars Klay Thompson, Derrick Rose, JaVale McGee, and Russell Westbrook.

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      Paner was a special guest of PBA commissioner Willie Marcial at ringside during the Philippine Cup games at the Ynares Center in Antipolo, where he had been based for more than two decades now.

      He was named part of the 25 Greatest Players in 2000 and inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame seven years after.

      The product of the University of the Visayas was a member of the league’s 5,000-point and 1,000-rebound clubs, respectively, who was once regarded as the highest-paid player in the league.

      Olympic and World Championships veteran

      After Royal Tru-Orange, Paner played for Great Taste, CDCP, before returning to San Miguel in 1982 where he retired in 1986.

      He was a member of the Philippine team that played in the 1972 Munich Olympics and 1974 FIBA World Championship in Puerto Rico.

      Paner was also a key player in the last national team of homegrown players to win the FIBA Asia Championship in 1973 in Manila.

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      PHOTO: PBA Images
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