Kai Sotto's NBA dream may be on hold for now, but that goal is still very much doable according to former NBA sensation Jeremy Lin.
MACAU—Despite the setbacks in Kai Sotto’s goal of making it to the NBA, Jeremy Lin believes the 7-foot-3 Filipino center still has a chance to make it to the biggest basketball stage in the world.
Lin, a former NBA sensation himself, briefly practiced with Sotto during the latter’s stint with G League Ignite. Kai later signed with the Adelaide 36ers in Australia's NBL, and then went undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Still, the New Taipei Kings star cited examples of players who found their way to the NBA later in their careers—highlighting that opportunities remain open for the 22-year-old Sotto.
Among those is Guerschon Yabusele, who had been out of the Association for years, but impressed during the Olympic Games Paris 2024, leading to him getting an NBA contract from the Philadelphia 76ers.
Despite the 76ers' struggles, mostly due to injuries, Yabusele has enjoyed a breakout campaign.
“He [Yabusele] played really well in the Olympics and then got a contract, and now he’s with the Sixers and he’s a rotation player. And that’s later in his career, a few years after,” Lin recalled during a media availability session in the EASL Final Four 2025 here.
Lin himself knows the difficulties of making the NBA, going undrafted in 2010 before making the most of his opportunity with the New York Knicks, where “Linsanity” was born in 2012.
The surge later sparked a fruitful NBA career with stops in six more teams, including the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, and the 2019 NBA Champion Toronto Raptors.
That’s why for Lin, international competitions such as the Olympics and other global tournaments could be Sotto’s ticket back to NBA consideration.
"That’s what I hope to see," Lin said. "I hope Kai and other players—even as they get more experience and grow—can always have a chance. It took the Olympics or even some international game. Those are opportunities that you can still make it back to the NBA."
Sotto, however, is currently in the midst of a challenging period after undergoing surgery for an ACL injury.
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The injury, which he sustained in the Koshigaya Alphas’ Japan B.LEAGUE match against the Seahorses Mikawa in January, has sidelined him for the rest of the season.
With an expected recovery period of nine months to a year, Sotto has also been ruled out of the FIBA Asia Cup in August, as confirmed by Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone.
Nevertheless, Sotto was having the strong campaign he needed in hopes of attracting NBA attention. In the B.LEAGUE, Kai was averaging 13.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 27 minutes, all career highs. He was also going for 1.1 blocks, which would have been currently tied for 6th in Japan.
In FIBA action, Sotto averaged 15.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.3 blocks in four games in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers, which were all wins for Gilas Pilipinas.
As such, Lin is among those who remain optimistic about Sotto’s future, offering some words of encouragement for the Filipino big man.
"He definitely has time, and I hope he recovers and gets healthy, and everything is smooth moving forward," Lin said.