by Dave Albarado
The pressure is on Kai
The pressure to perform is on Kai Sotto as he embarks on his first full season as a professional basketball player with the Adelaide 36ers.
The Australian National Basketball League is now feeling the effect of Kai’s presence with the surge in the followers of the leagues’s social media platforms.
At this point, Kai’s jersey is being sold at the website of the 36ers and while the jersey costs thousands of pesos, I am not surprised that there are Filipinos who would purchase the jersey and this writer included.
More than being able to develop his game, Kai brings a lot to the NBL in terms of viewership, as it is possible that local broadcasters will start airing Kai’s games in local television.
We know how the local networks will be taking advantage of the fact that a Filipino is playing in one of the top 5 leagues in the world.
The phenomemon of Filipinos watching foreign basketball leagues is evident with the Japanese B League where Thirdy Ravena plays. The You Tube channel of the B League has become one of the most watched channels because of the increasing interest of Filipinos.
For the NBL, Kai is a vital piece in its marketing efforts to bring Asian audiences to the said league. Now, more Filipinos will be interested to follow the NBL on top of the NBA.
More than just an attraction, Kai brings a lot in terms of athleticism and talent aside from the height.
We know that Kai has plenty of room for improvement and the NBL can help in his development as the he aspires to become the first full-blooded Filipino to play in the NBA.