FILIPINO American and Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson advised Kai Sotto to keep on working hard if he wants to realize his dream of becoming the first Filipino homegrown talent to make it to the National Basketball Association (NBA).
“Continue to work. You’re around the NBA pro guys, coaches [in the G-League]. Being around that experience is gonna be great for [you], especially at a young age,” Clarkson advised the 18-year-old in a virtual press conference with Filipino sportswriters on Saturday morning.
“I just want to tell [you] to put your nose down, and keep grinding. And put [in] the time because it’s all gonna work out at the end of the day,” Clarkson added.
The 7’2” Sotto has been training with Ignite in the planned G-League and will play for the team in the season next year.
Clarkson certainly knows what it’s like to be in the G-League, which was formerly known as the D-League. The 28-year-old spent a bulk of his time in the league during his rookie season with the Los Angeles Defenders, which is now called the South Bay Lakers, from 2014 to 2015. In the latter part of his rookie year, he got a break with the Los Angeles Lakers .
The 6’5” guard became one of the best off-the-bench scorers. He wants to solidify that reputation, saying his individual goal for his seventh season from 2020 to 2021 is to win the Sixth Man of the Year plum.
“The one goal I do wanna have is to win the Sixth Man of the Year award. I feel like I’m in that conversation a lot, but I’ve been traded to multiple places now,” continued Clarkson, who also played for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“I definitely would love to have that under my belt [and] definitely will shoot for that,” he concluded.