Aussie NBL commissioner wants to elevate Kai Sotto to NBA

MANILA, Philippines — Kai Sotto's journey to the NBA has picked up a crucial ally in Australian National Basketball League (NBL) Commissioner Jeremy Loegliger.

Poised to take his talents Down Under following a short stint with the NBA G League Ignite, Loegliger is eager to work with Sotto to make him reach his highest potential.

"Hopefully we can play a part in taking Kai's game to the next level and elevating him into the ranks of the NBA," Loegliger said during an interview with ONE Sports' The Game.

Sotto recently inked a multi-year deal with NBL squad Adelaide 36ers — which saw one of its first-year players in Josh Giddey recently declare for the 2021 NBA Draft.

Knowing the type of talent the 19-year-old big man has, and what the NBL can offer him, Loegliger believes that the partnership offers a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship between the two parties.

"It's fantastic for the relationship between the two countries," Loegliger said of the Australia and the Philippines.

"[If we get to] demonstrate that he's got all the tools that it takes to get into the NBA and be a career-long NBA player I think it's going to be a great result for the Australia and the Philippines," he added.

Sotto's journey to become the first-ever Filipino in the NBA took a detour to Adelaide after he was deemed ineligible for the 2021 NBA Draft.

This due to the fact that he only graduated from high school earlier this year.

The 7'3" big man can play one season with the 36ers in the Aussie NBL before declaring for the NBA draft — which Giddey and NBA Rookie of the Year front-runner LaMelo Ball have done before him.