Vietnamese American standout guard signs with NBA's Oklahoma Thunder; 4 other hopefuls keep dreams alive

NBA

Vietnamese American Jaylen Williams will play for the Oklahoma City Thunder next season.

Of the five Asians and Asian Americans prospects eligible for the NBA draft last Thursday, only guard Jalen Williams was picked up by one of the professional basketball teams.

The Oklahoma City Thunder selected the Vietnamese/Creole player with the overall No. 12 pick in the National Basketball Association 2022 draft. He played three years with the University of Santa Clara where he averaged 18 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists.

Four other Asian or Asian American players went undrafted by any of the NBA teams but hold out dreams for playing for the top basketball league in the world.

UCLA guard Johnny Juzang signed a two way deal with the Utah Jazz, which didn't have a pick in the two rounds of the draft. A two-way deal allows the  6-feet, 6-inch Vietnamese American player to play with the Jazz or its G-league affiliate. If he plays for the Jazz, he'll likely team up with Filipino American Jordan Clarkson, one of the star players for the Jazz the last two seasons.

The Indiana Pacers also signed Fanbo Zeng to an Exhibit 10 deal Saturday, according to The Indianapolis Star. An Exhibit 10 deal is a one-year, minimum-salary contract that counts toward a team's 20-man offseason roster limit, but doesn't count against the cap unless the player makes the regular season roster. The 6-foot 11 froward, Considered one of the top basketball prospects from China since Yao Min, Zeng has been playing with the G-league Ignite.

Kai Sotto from the Philippines and currently playing in the Australian pro team from Adelaide, wasn't picked up by any of the NBA teams. The 7-foot 2 center worked out for several teams before the draft. He hopes to be accepted to the NBA Summer League to further show off his skills to scouts. Otherwise, Adelaide said they would be willing accommodate the 20-year old Sotto if he chooses to return to the 36ers.

Also going undrafted was South Korean player Lee Hyun-jung. The 21-year-old had declared for the draft in April after completing his junior season with the Davidson College Wildcats. A foot injury suffered during a workout a week before the draft probably hurt the chances of the 6-foot 7 wing. He hopes to play for a G-league team.

The NBA draft saw 58 players with experience on college, foreign teams or G-league experience were drafted by the 29 teams participating held in Brooklyn last June 24. Utah was the only team not drafting players because they traded way their spots for veteran players.

Asian and/or Asian American players are still a rarity in the National Basketball League. Jalen Williams will join four active players of Asian descent on NBA rosters, including: Jordan Clarkson of the Utah Jazz, Jalen Green of the Houston Rockets, Yuta Watanabe of the Toronto Raptors and Rui Hachimura of the Washington Wizards.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Another Filipino high school basketball player signs up with the G League

Kai Sotto towered over his opponents in the Philippines.

Another Filipino straight out of high school has decided to skip college and sign up the NBA's G League.

Center Kai Sotto, a 7'2" prospect out of the Philippines, is following in the footsteps of another Filipino American highschooler, Jalen Green, who is also foregoing the traditional college route before turning pro.

The two will be teammates playing for a team based in Southern California. They met earlier when Californian Green played in the Philippines. 

"He played in the Philippines twice and we actually met in some FIBA tournaments," said Sotto to ESPN. "We're good friends. We talked a lot when he was in the Philippines. The first time he was there, he was the one who told me that I should play here in America."
Sotto turned 18 years old on Monday, April 11. He wants to become the first NBA player born in the Philippines. 

Sotto will become the G League’s first international player, according to journalist Shams Charania of The Athletic website.

The center, who turned 18 on Monday, is being heralded as potentially becoming the first fully-Filipino NBA player and he took a step closer to his dream on Monday by signing for the development league.

“There hasn't been any full-blooded Filipino that has been to the NBA and I just want to be the first one and I just want to show everyone that we can also make it,” Sotto told Bleacher Report in a mini-documentary earlier this year.

It is a move that could be worth more $500,000 over a one-year deal reports ESPN. Gaining experience in the G League will allow Sotto to develop and acquaint himself to the American-style of basketball.

"I'm really looking to develop] my strength and confidence to play against professional basketball players here in [the United States of America. And I think it will be a great preparation for me when it comes to the NBA," Sotto told ESPN.
Currently, Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson is the only Filipino American in the NBA.

Previously, Raymond Townsend, was the only Filipino American to play in the pros splitting three seasons with the Golden State Warriors and Indiana Pacers.

Filipino American high school basketball player will skip college and go pro

Jaylen Green ddrives past an opponent.

A Filipino American, one of the top high school basketball prospects in the US, will forego college and sign up with a new program in the NBA's G League.

Last month, 5-star recruit Jalen Green, who spent his senior season at Prolific Prep in Napa, was mulling over which college he would attend to hone his skills in preparation for a career in the National Basketball League.

But on Thursday morning on Instagram Live, he announced that he’ll skip college, the traditional route to the NBA, and go straight to the pro's in a reshaped NBA professional development program that could help provide new opportunities for elite high school seniors.

“It’s been a crazy exciting journey for me and my family, a lot of opportunities have came, the ultimate end goal is to get to the NBA so with that being said I decided to partner with NBA G League’s new team for elite players,” he stated.

Instead of playing for a college team for a season or two with no compensation except for a scholarship, the G League initiative will pay top players like Green $500,000-plus and set them up in a one-year development program outside the typical minor-league structure, according to ESPN. He would also be eligible to earn money with product endorsements and still get a college scholarship if he chooses to continue his education.

Green, whose mother mother is from Ilocos Sur in the Philippines, was ranked No. 1 by ESPN and No. 3 by the Rivals Scouting Report.

He was also named to the 2020 McDonald's All-American and a member of the USA Basketball Men's Junior National Team.

Green is also decorated with gold medals from FIBA youth World Cups in the Under-19, Under-17 and Under-16 tournaments.

He was also awarded MVP in the 2018 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup in Argentina.

"We're thrilled to welcome a player and a person of Jalen's caliber to the NBA G League," G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim said in a news release.

"He represents the next generation of NBA players, and we couldn't be more excited to have him develop his professional skills in our league," he added.

“The main reason for this, I wanted to get better, and develop, a more better game, I want to work on my craft, get stronger like that so I can be more ready for the NBA, this is the best route to prepare myself,” said Green.

Another member of the 2020 class is Kai Sotto, a 7-foot, 2-inch center from the Philippines, who has attracted interest by several top-notch basketball colleges including the No. 1 team in the country, the University of Kentucky.

While Sotto. a 4-star recruit according to Rivals, could go straight from high school to the NBA draft, he told PhenomHoopReport that there was "more chance of going to college."

As the No. 1 high school player in the Philippines, Sotto left Ateneo University to hone his game at The Skill Factory in Georgia, which has produced several pro basketball players, including James Harden.

The 17-year old Sotto, whose father played pro-ball in the Philippines, said his dream is be the "first full-blood Filipino" to play in the NBA. He said adjusting to life in the States was "not really easy." But time has helped, adding, "I just work hard, I just listen to the people around me and it's become easier."