AFTER a botched stint with Ignite in the G League and spending the last two seasons with Adelaide in the National Basketball League of Australia, prized Filipino center Kai Sotto is out to prove his worth anew, this time in the Japan B. League.
The 7-foot-3 center said he is raring to lead Hiroshima, which signed him to a contract until the end of 2022-2023 season, to the Promised Land.
“I am looking forward to playing for the Hiroshima Dragonflies. I want to do everything I can so that the Dragonflies, who are aiming to advance to the B. League Championship, have a great season,” Sotto said.
“I am grateful to the president and GM for giving me this opportunity. I look forward to meeting my teammates, staff and of course the fans,” he added.
The Dragonflies have big expectations from Sotto.
“From the announcement of the contract agreement to the announcement of the player names, I think there were many people who waited with high expectations,” Hiroshima general manager Shuji Okazaki said.
Sotto played 50 games in the Aussie pro league and was good for 7.1 points and 4.5 rebounds for the 36ers of coach CJ Bruton.
The Dragonflies are sporting a 27-9 mark this season.
Hiroshima initially signed Justine Baltazar as its Asian Quota Player but the former La Salle standout saw limited action in two months before he was released by the Dragonflies.
Sotto, 20, went undrafted in the last NBA rookie draft last year in Brooklyn where he had workouts with the New York Knicks and the Sacramento Kings, among other NBA squads.
