Kai Sotto made the right decision by taking a shot at the NBA

(c) PBA Inquirer

Japeth Aguilar, Bobby Ray Parks Jr. and other awesome Filipino players who grew in the Philippines, tried to reach the ultimate basketball league in the world called the National Basketball Association this century. All of them failed.

Today, a 16 years old high-school graduate from Ateneo will leave the Philippines to go to foreign lands (either Europe or in USA) to develop into a capable NBA draftee by 2021 or 2022.

His name is Kai Sotto. And his biggest selling point is his height. 

The moment he reached 6'8, the buzz for the potential of Kai, erupted. I do believe that what he showed in the UAAP juniors is enough to conclude that he will easily dominate the UAAP college basketball. 

So, to finally decide to try his best to reach the NBA today, was an awesome decision. 

Here was his message, posted on his Instagram. 

So, maybe you are asking why do I think his decision was right. 

Here are the easy reasons why. 

PHILIPPINES IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH
Philippine basketball will not develop him into an NBA-caliber prospect. We just do not have the facilities, the knowledge, the people and the competition to fully established him. Only Europe and USA have enough of those to help him. 

PHILIPPINE SPORTS POLITICS
You may not be aware but the politics inside our sports industry is also pretty complicated and pretty cruel. The most recent example of what it can do, negatively, was the decision of Wesley So to leave the Philippines and represent USA. Wesley is the #1 chess player in the country and we let him go.

Of course, that will not be the effect to Kai but the risk of a negative effect into his career and development is real. 

CLOSER TO THE NBA SCOUTS
Playing in the Philippines will not help him develop a reputable resume for the NBA scouts because of lack of exposure. By going to the continents where NBA scouts are found, he will surely grab a lot of eyes. With his size and acceptable athleticism, a lot of people will take notice.


Overall, let us pray for his success because I trust him when he said that he wants to make us proud.