Kai Sotto raring to resume rivalry with good pal Carl Tamayo in B. League debut

MANILA, Philippines – Two modern-day budding success stories in Philippine basketball will once again share an intertwined chapter as Kai Sotto is set for his Japan B. League debut for the Hiroshima Dragonflies against none other than his good friend Carl Tamayo of the Ryukyu Golden Kings.

The 7-foot-3 stretch big man got fans buzzing about his potential matchups against his fellow Filipino basketball stars – most especially against Tamayo – after he left the Adelaide 36ers of the Australia National Basketball League to try out his luck farther north.

“It’s good to see him again because in high school we were kind of rivals and now we’re both professionals at a young age. It’s just a good feeling to have,” Sotto said in his introductory press conference on Thursday, March 2.

“Carl is a really good friend of mine. We were teammates in the national team a couple of times, men’s national team, Under-18, Under-19, we go way back. And we played against each other in high school so, I’m just proud of Carl Tamayo. Finally, going pro.”

Fans’ eyes immediately swung to March 8 on the calendar, as Hiroshima takes on Ryukyu in what, coincidentally enough, will both be Sotto’s and Tamayo’s first-ever B. League game.

The supremely talented big men have not played against each other in a sanctioned game since February 2019, when Tamayo’s NU Bullpups dethroned Sotto’s Ateneo Blue Eaglets in a UAAP Season 81 high school finals sweep.

Since then, apart from their stints with the Gilas Pilipinas national team, the two have carved different paths to success.

Sotto shunned college ball for a shot at the NBA G League before signing as the first Filipino in the Australian NBL, while Tamayo committed to the UAAP’s UP Fighting Maroons and immediately helped the school win its first college title since 1986 in his Mythical Five-worthy rookie season.

“I told him two years ago, you could already go pro right now,” Sotto continued.

“I’m happy to have him as my first game. I’m excited to see him, I’m excited to play against him and I’m confident that he will do good in this league because I know how good Carl Tamayo is.”

The phrase “the future of Philippine basketball” is thrown around quite a lot, but only a very select few players today fit that bill the same as Sotto and Tamayo. Now, the B. League has front row seats for both, and fans can just strap in and enjoy the ride. – Rappler.com