Kai Sotto will get to test his mettle against National Basketball Association talents when the Adelaide 36ers battle the Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder in preseason matches this October.
The 36ers will collide with the Suns on 2 October at the Footprint Center in Phoenix before clashing with the Thunder on 6 October at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City as part of their preseason buildup for the National Basketball League.
With that, Sotto will get to bang bodies with Suns centers Bismack Biyombo and DeAndre Ayton while sharing the court with superstars Chris Paul, Mikal Bridges and Devin Booker.
Although the 20-year-old Filipino star will miss facing the injured Chet Holmgren — the second overall pick of the draft class where he also belongs — he still gets to battle veteran Derrick Favors and youngster Aleksei Pokusevski as well as Australian Josh Giddey when the 36ers tackle the Thunder.
It will be the third time for the 36ers to play against NBA franchises after playing the Utah Jazz in at the Vivint Smart Home Arena Salt Lake City in 2018 and 2019.
Adelaide coach C.J. Bruton said the preseason matches will definitely prepare them for the tough grind ahead in a bid to win the NBL title.
“I would have liked to have done a lot of things if I knew our offseason would play out the way it did. I would have loved to go to the Philippines with Kai Sotto and the 36ers, it didn’t happen. I would’ve loved to have played a lot of games in the preseason but with the NBL1 crossover it’s not going to happen,” Bruton said.
“I think an opportunity like this to go and play games and showcase the NBL to the NBA is a wonderful opportunity.”