KAI Sotto plunged to his first official NBA training camp with the Orlando Magic ahead of the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Nevada this weekend.
The 7-foot-3 Filipino pride banged bodies with his teammates in the Magic’s 22-man roster, thrusting the first step to another shot at making the NBA after going undrafted last year.
The Magic posted photos of Mr. Sotto wearing the team’s official training gear — one in shooting motion and another unloading a right skyhook against lottery pick Anthony Black — in Day 1 of their camp for the Summer League.
Mr. Black, from Arkansas, is Orlando’s No. 6 pick in the just-concluded draft headlined by tower sensation Victor Wenbanyama of the San Antonio Spurs.
Jett Howard, drafted No. 11, is the other top rookie of the Orlando Magic seeing action in the Summer League with Dylan Murphy, the coach of NBA G League affiliate team Osceola Magic, calling the shots.
The Summer League fires off on Saturday (Manila time) but Orlando will not debut until Sunday against the Detroit Pistons featuring No. 4 pick Ausar Thompson from Overtime Elite.
Orlando will also slug it out against the Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks and the Portland Trailblazers in the next days.
Indiana will have No. 9 pick (from Washington Wizards) Jarace Walker while Portland will be headlined by the third overall rookie pick Scoot Henderson. — John Bryan Ulanday
