MANILA, Philippines – Add a former NBA player to those who would like to see Kai Sotto take his basketball act to the global stage.

Cherokee Parks, who played 10 years in the NBA, said it would be a “very good story” to see the 7-foot-1 Filipino teen pursue the opportunity of playing outside the country. 

Even at 16 years old, Sotto has already received offers to play in the US NCAA Division 1 and Europe, most notably for Spanish giants Real Madrid. 

“[H]e’s tall and thin but he’s got the height so we’ve heard about him,” Parks told Rappler during a basketball clinic at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex facilitated by the US Embassy. 

“And he’s at the right age? Is he 17 now? So for him to have grown to that size in such a basketball country and for him to now go out into the international basketball community, I’m sure that’s a very good story.” 

Faced against the top young players in the 2018 U-17 World Cup, the Batang Gilas star averaged 16.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in the Philippines’ 13th-place finish in the tourney. 

“Real Madrid is a phenomenal basketball organization so to see him have an opportunity for them to show interest shows what kind of potential that he has,” Parks added.

Although Sotto still has a long way to go to bulk up his reed-thin frame, Parks believes he has the tools to flourish not just in Europe, but in the USA. 

“I think what happened with Kai being thin, that seems to be in America, they like the centers that are agile, that are thin, that can run up and down the floor and get around so he kind of fits physically. I think he fits the mold,” he said. 

“We have a big player from the New York Knicks, Kristaps Porzingis. [He’s] 7-foot-4, thin, but he moves so well, he gets around the court so well.”

Despite the offers, Sotto is bound to return for the Ateneo Blue Eaglets as they seek to defend their championship in the UAAP. (READ: Kai Sotto to stay with Ateneo amid Real Madrid recruitment rumors) – with reports from Beatrice Go/Rappler.com