But he surprises them by how great he has become within a short time.The 17 years old is currently based in Atlanta, where he continuously hones his skills playing among the best.The player seems to be enjoying his career, and this can be attributed to the surprising statistics. And we have a couple of players from Serbia and America as well. His height has been one of his greatest strengths in the game. Then we have a Great Dane. And I'm very happy that he gets to represent the country at one of the highest levels of basketball that there is in the world. He's quick, agile and not afraid … So everyone is very competitive with every little thing that you could imagine." And that’s exactly where he’ll be strutting his wares, at least for the moment.Earvin Sotto, the former professional journeyman and Kai’s father, told the Inquirer that his 16-year-old son will continue to don the Ateneo Blue Eaglets colors in the UAAP juniors basketball wars.Earvin added his family has rejected feelers for Kai to fly abroad and play there, but denied that there was a cash value attached to those offers.The seven-foot-1 Kai powered the Blue Eaglets to the UAAP junior title over the NU Bullpups.Kai and AJ Edu also formed a formidable combination at the post for Batang Gilas, which booked a berth to the Fiba under-19 World Cup in Greece after reaching the semifinals of the 2018 Under-18 Asian championship in Nonthaburi, Thailand.It will be the second stint in the World Cup for Sotto, who averaged 16.4 points and 10.6 rebounds per game when the Philippines finished 13th in the 2018 U17 World Cup in Argentina.We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. ""In the Philippines, he was already a household name, but inside he's basically just a kid. ""That is definitely going to be a fantasy in real life. His father Ervin Sotto was a professional basketball player and has a huge influence on the Philippines' precocious young star.

And one of the things that makes me motivated to play basketball is playing for the country as well, because I get to represent the country when I do that. And I was I was very emotional that night. By continuing, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. "Kai is just this happy go lucky kid. I have to make sure that I represent not just myself well, but the whole Philippines as well." He began playing basketball when he was four years and has magnificently improved with time. And then from from then on, I sort of just, you know, threw all of that feelings of the desire of wanting to be better than my brother or wanted to be better than my dad. Towering 2018 . "So with Kai, I wish him all the best. Like Kiefer Ravena, Ray Parks Jr., and Kobe Paras before him, Kai is a second-generation talent.Kai's dad Ervin might not have been the star that Bong Ravena, Bobby Parks, or Benjie Paras once was, but the elder Sotto was a legitimate PBA talent as well.Ervin played college at St, Francis of Assisi, serving as Ranidel De Ocampo's frontcourt running mate in some NCRAA championship teams.In the PBA, Sotto was part of the loaded 2004 class that also inlcuded RDO, Marc Pingris, and two-time MVP James Yap. We have a Belgian Malinois. ""Playing for the country is such a great feeling, especially when you start singing the national anthem before the game," he says. "And with basketball so deeply woven into the fabric of Filipino society, what would it be like to make an Olympics? "We used to have a pig so I think you could say that we are animal lovers out here! Ervin was the Purefoods’s seventh pick in the 2004 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Draft, when Kai was four years old. He is the son of Ervin Sotto, the famous Filipino basketball player. I just ordered sushi bake, it's supposed to arrive at my house soon, it's kind of like a make your own sushi roll... You can see I love Japanese food very much! So it's such a great feeling. That was fun for my parents for sure (Laughs). Always wanted to prove people that I could be as good as them, right? ""So you can just imagine being in the same car after a game, with my brother, for example, scoring 38 points and me not even getting in the game. So I had to switch to an indoor sport. - Thirdy RavenaIn this one-on-one with Olympic Channel he opens up on how family, yoga, Dota, Japanese takeaway and the new home gym have helped him handle the coronavirus in Manila.And he lets us in to the family home everyone calls 'The Dugout' because it's always full of top national basketball and volleyball players like Thirdy Ravena should be training with the San-En NeoPhoenix basketball team in central Japan right now, getting to know his teammates and game-ready for an exciting new season.But in a world put on pause he's stuck in Manila, waiting for that opportunity to show what he can do on foreign shores for the first time.So how did Thirdy get through 'community quarantine' the first time, and what's he doing now that the Philippines is going into a second COVID-19 lockdown? ""I honestly didn't even feel that I would be here five, four years ago, but here I am now.

You know. Father Bong and mother Mozzy have supported their kids at every step.And Kiefer always looks out for his younger brother too, Thirdy's first ever bucket in college ball came off an assist from his brother, and now they connect for the national team together.Sometimes Kiefer even looks for Thirdy when there are other players open! © 2020 ABS-CBN Corporation. But I said, I think I put a hashtag like, just a dream. ""So I was like, okay. "Yoga is helping too, "it's my first time trying out yoga that wasn't instructed by a team or anyone else and I loved it. According to Andray Blatche, the basketball player has a high basketball IQ, and he draws this conclusion from the smartness and feel of the game Kai has. I've been waiting. He has drawn attention because of his exceptional skills and height.

"It's definitely a blessing," he says, "but at the same time, a responsibility because they see you as the guy from the Philippines.