DRAWING motivation from his younger days playing in the hard asphalt of Philippine courts, Kai Sotto has begun fulfilling his dreams of opening a basketball clinic of his own with Kaiju Global Academy.
According to the 18-year-old NBA hopeful, this is his way of giving back to the basketball community which allowed him to reach heights he's never imagined.
Last December, Sotto announced his plans of launching his own sports academy in Hamilton, Ohio. After just a month, he shared an update on its progress, uploading a full gallery of its construction.
"Very soon, the Spooky Nook Champion Mill will open and will be the permanent home to the first-ever Kaiju Global Academy," he said on Instagram. "I grew up playing on dirt and concrete basketball courts in the Philippines, so, to have a playground and performance center like this for all athletes around the world to come to is such a blessing."
The photo thread showed the 7-foot-3 Las Piñas native taking a tour on the construction site of his future camp location.
Spooky Nook is a 1.3 million-square-foot facility, touted as the largest in North America. According to the floor plan of its construction, it can accommodate 20 basketball courts alongside football fields, oval tracks, rock-climbing walls, and other facilities.
"It’s going to be a place that’s safe and world-class, where the leadership, trainers and coaches are here for the holistic development of the athlete. It will be an amazing community; the Kaiju Way will be our way of life," the Team Ignite trainee added.
In previous interviews, Kai explained the story behind the name of the brand: "Kaiju is the Japanese term for monster, beast, strange creature, and it perfectly captures the ideal basketball competitor that I aim to be."
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