Kai Sotto, the 7-foot-2 center from Las Pinas City, Philippines, will become the first international player to enter the new NBA G League pathway. Sotto, who turned 18 years old Monday, was considered a 4-star prospect and the 12th-best center in the 2020 class by 247Sports' composite rankings.

He will join Jalen Green, Isaiah Todd and Daishen Nix among players to play for the new “Select Team” that is expected to be based in the Los Angeles area. The team will play a limited schedule and won’t be affiliated with any individual G League franchise. All of those players will earn six-figure salaries, with Green, who is of Filipino origin, reportedly set to make $500,000.

“There hasn't been any full-blooded Filipino that has been to the NBA and I just want to be the first one and I just want to show everyone that we can also make it," he has said of his ultimate goal.

The G League is making strong moves for a number of elite high school prospects after watching American teen sensations LaMelo Ball and R.J. Hampton leave America last season to play in the Australian NBL. Both are projected lottery picks in this year’s NBA Draft, which may not happen until August or September due to the coronavirus pandemic. Photo by FIBA