Kai Sotto finally took the floor for his much-awaited NBA Summer League debut Friday as the Orlando Magic played the Portland Trail Blazers at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
After riding the bench in the Magic’s first three games — to the disappointment of many Filipino basketball fans who had been eagerly awaiting the 7-foot-3 prospect in action — Sotto made the most of his playing time in the Magic’s 88-71 loss to the Trail Blazers.
Sotto checked in at the start of the second quarter, where pulled two rebounds, blocked one shot and missed one field goal attempt in 5 minutes and 37 seconds of action.
He made his first basket when play resumed in the third period — grabbing an offensive rebound off a teammate’s miss and scoring on a follow-up.
Sotto saw more minutes in the final quarter, adding four points, including a two-handed slam dunk off an assist.
In total, the Filipino big man chalked up a statline of six points — on 3-of-7 shooting — four rebounds, three blocks and one assist in 13:23 of playtime.
Sotto had been listed as DNP (did not play)-coach’s decision in Orlando’s games against Detroit, Indiana and New York, with the Magic drawing the ire of Filipino basketball fans who had been clamoring for minutes for Sotto.
Sotto’s fans took their frustration to social media the past few days with posts containing the #LetKaiPlay hashtag.