MANILA, Philippines — Kai Sotto will go through a bubble experiencce as the G League Ignite team makes its debut in the G League that adopts the NBA program at the Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida starting Feb. 8.
And that stands in the way of Sotto’s desire to play for Gilas Pilipinas in the February window of the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers in Clark.
After early considerations of holding the 2021 Season in a Georgia bubble, the G League is instead proceeding to the same NBA bubble site, according to renowned insider Shams Charania of The Athletic.
It kicks off on Feb. 8 with a schedule of 12-15 games among the 18 teams including Ignite that have opted into playing under a bubble setting.
All the participating squads will enter the Disney bubble on Jan. 26 with the last standing teams staying there until the second week of March.
The 7-foot-2 wunderkind Sotto is the first Filipino player to be part of the exclusive G League Ignite program following a historic signing last May.
Sotto, 18, is joined by other prized prospects around the world including Fil-Am Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Daishen Nix, Isaiah Todd and Princepal Singh from India.
Ignite, which is being groomed by the G League for their NBA jump by 2022, will be playing under the tutelage of LA Lakers great Brian Shaw.