Kai Sotto is a burgeoning superstar, poised to be a cultural icon for the Philippines in the same way Yao Ming is for 1.4 billion Chinese today. A great hope and trailblazer for an influential hoops market.
Born and raised in the Philippines, 19-year-old Kai stands at a giant 7ft 2 (2.18m) and will follow in his father’s footsteps as he becomes a professional hooper on the third of December. Suiting up for the Adelaide 36ers on the first night of the 2021-22 NBL season.
As one of the fresh faces and marquee draws for NBL22, Kai will be baptised into a league known for its hard-nosed play and will compete for minutes on a talent-laden Adelaide roster. The team will also contend with murmurs from NBL fans online that Sotto is merely marketing fodder.
A similar charge was levelled at the NBL when they secured and marketed teenage rookies LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton for #NBL20. Their star appeal yielded a massive uptick in social media follows, a documentary series, as well as Twitch and Facebook Live partnerships to cater for the jump in international attention. NBL General Manager Guy Neville shared the league’s vision on a local podcast.
“If somebody wants to watch us somewhere, we’ll be there. You know, people dictate consumption habits, not the industry. It’s the fans who say I want to watch on Twitch, I want to watch on Facebook… the reason we can do that is our position with the broadcast and owning the content” said Neville.
With the NBL recently signing a broadcast partnership with TapGo.TV for global viewers to watch NBL games, one person I know who’ll be catching the games is Echo Santos. Echo is a fellow traveller and Filipino local I connected with via Couchsurfing. Author of the book ‘Chasing Gilas’, we crossed paths as we’d both backpacked to Changsha, China to catch FIBA Asia 2015. It had been his first time out of the country.
“They understand that the Philippines has a fanbase, a big fanbase. The growth in terms of social media interactions rose when Kai came. It also happened with the B League in Japan. They have a good following in terms of viewership in the Philippines and social media, B League is now shown locally.” Echo said in regards to the collective excitement for Kai’s journey.
Hoops culture was born and raised in America and thus the majority of hoops media we consume comes from that perspective. That being said, basketball was invented by a Canadian and the game has become increasingly international since the Dream Team took the world by storm in ’92.
Different cultures and styles of play have been injected into professional hoops as a result of the growing pool of international players. Much of the excitement in today’s NBA comes from international talent. Their last 3 MVPS were international, the reigning NBA champion hails from Greece and the future face of the league comes from Slovenia. Should we expect this international success to increase our curiosity and understanding of other cultures?
If an NBA commentator doesn’t make a stupid pun or reference when commentating a game with an Aussie in it – did they really play?
— Teagan M (@TeaganM17) October 28, 2021
I spent the first 2 months of 2018 travelling around Australia, visiting every NBL city to close out the NBL 2017-18 season. My last stop Melbourne included two Aussie Boomers games. One against the Philippines, or Gilas as they’re commonly referred to, followed by Chinese Taipei. The Gilas game was raucous, a German traveller who I watched the game with described it thusly, “even though it took place in Melbourne, it was actually a home game for the Philippines because the support by their fans was just unreal!”.
Filipinos were voted MVF [Most Valuable Fans] during the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain. Sadly the perception of the Philippines as a happy-go-lucky nation with an undying love for hoops might be lost on some as the follow-up game in Manila would make headlines for all the wrong reasons. I myself was born in the Philippines but spent most of my life in Australia. Watching the “basketbrawl” unfold live and the ensuing social media fallout was harrowing as someone invested in both countries. It hurt me hardest as a basketball fan.
Someone who understood this pain was Rafe Bartholomew, Grantland writer and co-author of ‘Basketball: A Love Story’, the book. He’s an American who travelled to the Philippines in 2005 after being inspired by the folklore of the island nation’s obsession with basketball. Rafe wrote ‘Pacific Rims’, chronicling his understanding of the country through the prism of hoops. He helmed documentaries ‘Hoop Nation’ for CNN and ‘Pinoy Hoops’ for Nat Geo mining the subject.
I’ve long admired Rafe for his gonzo basketball travels, his dedication to the cause leading him to pick up the language. Whilst we were both personally shaken, he shared his global impression of the incident to me.
“Honestly no one here [USA] took it seriously. It was just a blooper of the week which in terms of being damaging to the reputation of the country meant it didn’t hurt as much but at the same time the implication is there was nothing to hurt in the first place. Which is even worse” Rafe lamented.
“People have moved on from it here, it was a flashbulb—oh yeah, that was crazy—but I would expect in the Philippines and Australia its still remembered because they were the two teams involved.”
One way to forget the stink of 3 years ago has been the countries’ recent wins. “Success is a great deodorant” as they say. Australia has the “rose gold” glow, recently breaking through to win its first medal in international play. The Philippines has a promising new core of young talent representing them and are making inroads as imports in other international leagues like Japan and now Australia. They also have the 2023 FIBA World Cup to look forward to as they prepare to co-host with Japan and Indonesia. The other way of overcoming misunderstanding is affinity but this brings its own complications which underscores the value of representation.
In the NBA’s 75th season, the first two players of Filipino descent share the court together. ??
Jalen Green and Jordan Clarkson face off against each other during the Rockets’ Filipino Heritage Night.
? @NBA pic.twitter.com/wF7M1lrj4j
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) October 29, 2021
History was made early this NBA season when rookie Jalen Green faced off with Jordan Clarkson. Some dismissed the value and significance of the milestone as a cynical marketing exercise. I noticed someone I knew commenting “This is ridiculous. Does Green even know where the Philippines is on the map?” This presumption of Jalen’s ignorance of his heritage stirring up insecurities of my own regarding identity. Echo providing some perspective
“Its a natural reaction because obviously, he grew up in the States and then it depends family to family whether their Filipino side or Filipinoness has this great influence on them growing up”.
This is a common issue facing the diaspora. The feeling of being caught in the middle, not always knowing where you belong. Something most pro-athletes can relate to as perpetual transplants aiming to ingratiate themselves to their adopted communities.
“People tend to sometimes question if they do have the heart to actually represent the Philippines and I understand why people think that way because some of the athletes would only represent the Philippines once they find out there’s an opening… and before that they had little to no idea of what the Philippines is or its culture…” Echo said.
Regardless of how an athlete arrives at a team, whether by lottery, birth or trade. What fans and the organisation ultimately demand is that the player is fully invested in the team and winning. That’s how affinity is created, where former bad blood or preconceived notions become dissolved.
“The important thing is when they do finally play for the Philippines… they get more interested in immersing themselves into the culture. Doesn’t matter that if years before they didn’t have an idea, but now that they’re here that they find themselves an opportunity to discover their roots even more. Then hopefully it will be an avenue to continue being that bridge in terms of learning more about the culture” said Echo.
Our affinity to a team, like our connection to our country is a journey on a spectrum. Something personal to us. As fans, we often have an expectation that our favourite athletes arrive fully formed. We forget that the drama and uncertainty, this hope of redemption is why sport engages us in the first place. Why can’t every Aussie Sixer be a Matisse Thybulle, instead of a Ben Simmons? As fans, we expect athletes to already know who they are. To neatly climb to their potential. We all love to win but the joy of victory is only as sweet as the struggle to get there.
The Aussie Boomers playing Kazakhstan at Bendigo (Sep 2018)
International sports fans have a free choice when it comes to choosing their team. It becomes an identity to embrace, every trial and tribulation becomes a badge of honour to include in our story once we’ve begun. Does it make Thybulle a truer Aussie because his courtship and initiation as a Boomer was less tumultuous than Ben Simmons journey?
Are we better NBA fans if our origin story is purer and more straightforward?
Rafe faced parallel questions in his time immersed in the Philippines and saw it reflected in the Fil-Ams (Filipino Americans)and Fil-Foreigners he encountered as basketball imports and friends.
“Someone is paying you to come over and they’re expecting you to perform… It’s a ruthless environment, so whatever can be picked at even if it has nothing to do with basketball”. As a white American, Rafe was aware he was given a pass not afforded to his peers of Filipino descent who were also just trying to fit in. “It’s a sport where you wouldn’t necessarily think these issues would be hashed out or argued over and these difficult questions with no real answers about what it means to be a “real” Filipino are somehow argued over. Basketball sometimes deals with questions before they become questions in politics” said Rafe.
Sports fans are fickle but we’re also easily won over, Echo suggesting “most casual fans don’t have an idea of who they are, so the affinity isn’t built yet… if they see even an inkling of affinity or love for anything Filipino, that would soften— “OK we get you. You’re one of us. We see that you’re trying”. Boomers fans were treated with Thybulle’s humility and eagerness through his vlogs and calling card defence. A charm offensive Dale Carnegie couldn’t have even dreamed of.
Kai Sotto was recruited to the inaugural G League Ignite program along with current NBA rookies Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga. Ultimately never joined the team due to bad timing and complications brought on by the pandemic.
The Philippines is an engaged market when it comes to hoops. Brands and competitions have aimed to harness the passion of the small island nation for viewership, engagement and product sales. Nike and Adidas regularly have their marquee athletes tour there. The Philippines regularly ranks second only to the States in its awareness and engagement of hoops, online and off.
Aussie sports fans should be heartened that young basketball talents see the NBL as a viable NBA pathway and an attractive destination league. Marketing is a two-way street.
“It’s very competitive here. A high level of basketball, that’s one of the biggest reasons why I chose to play here because playing the NBL, playing in Australia would definitely help me develop and get better.” Sotto said in an interview with Aussie Hoopla.
Multicultural Game: NBL Playoffs Melbourne derby (June 2021)
Just like LaMelo before him, Kai is expected to bring an air of celebrity and global attention to the NBL. As a non-American, Kai also represents the exoticism that springs from the globalism of the game. The novelty and categorising we’ve grown accustomed to seeing with Joe Ingles and Patty Mills, and young talents Ben Simmons and Josh Giddey as Aussies in the game making a name for themselves in North America. Where internationals stars like Luka Dončić and Giannis Antetokounmpo are greeted with Heritage Nights, nationality-based nicknames and flag-waving cheer sections.
Not only in the stands but as emojis flooding comment sections. We’ve seen a similar dynamic with NBL imports like Brazil’s Didi Louzada, India’s Amritpal Singh and Japanese stars Makoto Hiejima and Yudai Baba. The hope with any international connection is to transcend the pandering and find meaningful cultural exchange.
LaMelo Ball vs Australian Indigenous Basketball Australia (Aug 2019)
Hornets.com writer Sam Perley chronicled the reciprocal impact LaMelo Ball and the NBL had on each other’s maturation and success.
“Every time I’ve gone overseas, it’s a culture shock for real. Experiencing things, going around the world, learning stuff, seeing other people, meeting other people, seeing what other people do, how other people interact — everything’s different. It definitely opened a whole different world in my head. That started when I first left the United States when I was fifteen and every time since then, I’ve just been gaining knowledge” Ball said.
Just like LaMelo who faced scepticism his entire journey to the NBA, performance will ultimately be the bottom line for sports fans as Rafe accepts
“Can being a really good player shut down the discourse, the annoying noise? Of course. That is the ultimate way to make the point. To make the story about how good you are rather than how good you could be, how good you should be but that’s probably the most difficult thing in the world.”
Kai like all international athletes will have to find the balance between expressing oneself and earning respect as an individual whilst navigating the expectations of the communities they represent. Whether it’s family, the team or the places one calls home. Sotto telling Aussie Hoopla,
“I’m always big on representing my country everywhere I go, that’s one of the biggest reasons I’m excited to play in the NBL and for this team, cause I’m not just representing the Adelaide 36ers, I’m also always representing the Philippines. When they see me on the court that will reflect on the Filipinos as well so I got to make sure I do the right things, that I do my best every time.”
Rafe has this advice for Kai, one that he applies to himself as a writer and anyone striving to be their best self, “Worrying about what people online who don’t believe in him say OR believing what people who just love him but don’t really know what they’re talking about say. Neither of those is gonna help him or anyone else get better at basketball.” Rafe prescribing “competing, working hard, listening to his coaching, all of those basics is what helps.”
On Kai’s part, he welcomes the attention and challenge to prove himself.
“I think it’s a good thing to have more fans involved in our game, especially knowing that more Filipino fans than Australian fans will come to watch me play. It will always play a role in our games. It’s just exciting. I think all of us are very excited to play. I’m very excited to play in front of a crowd again because I haven’t played in a crowd in a long time. Very looking forward to this upcoming season.”
The more I’ve travelled and the more basketball I watch, I’ve become invested and sentimental towards every team. I’ve become one of those guys who answers “I just want a good game” when asked who I want to see win. That’s what I want for basketball and the NBL. Let the season begin.
Aussie on a mission to visit the 30 NBA cities. I'm halfway there. Visited all the NBL arenas for #NBL18 and looking forward to catching the Tasmania JackJumpers as soon as possible.
