Kai Sotto
Kai Zachary Perlado Sotto (English: /ˈkaɪ/, Tagalog: [ˈkaɪ ˈsɔtɔ]; born May 11, 2002) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Yokohama B-Corsairs of the Japanese B.League, playing on loan from the Hiroshima Dragonflies. Listed at 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) and 232 pounds (105 kg), he plays the center position. He is tied with Raul Dillo as the tallest Filipino professional basketball player ever. Sotto and Dillo are also the second-tallest Filipino men, behind only William Biscocho, who stands at 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m).
Sotto with the Yokohama B-Corsairs in 2024 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 11 – Yokohama B-Corsairs | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Center | ||||||||||||||
| League | B.League | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | May 11, 2002 Las Piñas, Philippines | ||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Filipino | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 232 lb (105 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Ateneo de Manila (Quezon City, Philippines) | ||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 2022: undrafted | ||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2021–present | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | Adelaide 36ers | ||||||||||||||
| 2023–present | Hiroshima Dragonflies | ||||||||||||||
| 2023–present | →Yokohama B-Corsairs | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Sotto is the son of former Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) player Ervin Sotto. He played high school basketball for the Ateneo Blue Eaglets of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), winning the juniors' division championship and MVP award. He then moved to the United States, where he was recruited by several NCAA Division I schools, but decided to forgo his college eligibility and signed with NBA G League Ignite in 2020. However, due to COVID-19-related travel restrictions and his decision to play for the Philippine national team at the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers, Sotto left Ignite by mutual agreement. He then joined the Adelaide 36ers of Australia's National Basketball League (NBL) for the 2021–22 season, after which he declared for the 2022 NBA draft but went undrafted. He returned to the 36ers for another season before joining the Hiroshima Dragonflies of Japan's B.League.
Sotto has also represented the Philippines national team in several senior and youth tournaments.