COLUMN: By helping Gilas beat Latvia, Kai turns in good NBA audition

CHICAGO – It has been a tedious pursuit, a personal quest that unwittingly became a country’s obsession ripe with sweeping highs, devastating lows and everything else in between.

After years of putting in the work, Kai Sotto finally turned a corner in his chase of the elusive NBA dream.

And Kai did it with a blend of old-school, big man interior dominance and new-school flair highlighted by a nifty 3 and a rim-rattling reverse dunk.

PHOTO: fiba.basketball

On the world stage, at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, the 7-foot-3 Sotto racked up 18 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block to help Gilas notch a monumental upset over host Latvia, 89-80, in Group A action.

The Philippines, ranked 37th by FIBA and a 21.5-point underdog against the sixth-ranked Latvians, will advance to the semis with a win over Georgia or a loss that is no greater than 18 points.

STIFLING DEFENSE.

Alongside Justin Brownlee, who flirted with a triple-double, and June Mar Fajardo’s 11 points and 5 rebounds, Sotto anchored a defense that held Latvia to just 27-of-72 shooting from the field (37.5 percent) and 10-of-42 from 3 (23.8 percent).

Tony Ronzone of Wasserman Sports, which handles the basketball side of Team Kai, was ecstatic.

“Kai held his own against the bigs of a very good Latvian team. He showed his strength in banging bodies and grabbing rebounds.

PHOTO: fiba.basketball

“That dunk in the second quarter, the lift it needed and the power it came down with, he couldn’t do that a year ago. His continuing maturity and transformation were inspiring to see.”

Ronzone, whose extensive resume includes a stint as head coach of the Chinese national team and several NBA front office jobs, wasn’t surprised.

“There are no shortcuts to success. For years, Kai followed the path that put himself in the best position to succeed. The time and work that he invested in coming to the US, Australia and Japan is now paying off,” Ronzone explained.

NBA AUDITION.

With the hoops universe watching, there is optimism that Kai’s performance could induce interest from a few NBA teams whose Summer League rosters have yet to be fully filled.

“We’re not worried about that now. We’re taking this one day at a time,” Ronzone said.

First things first. And that’s Georgia, ranked 23rd by FIBA and 7-point favorites over the Philippines.

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If Sotto can show consistency and drop a similarly dominant or even an above average grade against the Georgians, it would reinforce the growing belief that he can play at the highest level.

In a basketball journey that has experienced roller coaster-like ups and downs, including being undrafted in the NBA in 2022, Sotto’s rise proves that there are different ways to enter the world’s premiere pro league.

PHOTO: fiba.basketball

It doesn’t matter what road is traveled, as long as there is persistence, patience and the right people to support the talent, no destination is unreachable.

Blossoming beautifully at age 22, Kai has officially arrived. Against an elite team, he pierced every bubble of doubt. He was fearless, indomitable.

And like never ever before, Kai Sotto is really looking like legit NBA material.

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