4 Filipinos Represented in the 2023 NBA Summer League
The 2023 NBA Summer League just wrapped in Las Vegas, Nevada. And since basketball is by far, the most beloved sport in the Philippines, there were plenty of Filipino fans around the world excited to see Filipinos representing in the 2023 Summer League: Kai Sotto with the Orlando Magic, Kihei Clark with the Utah Jazz, Kamaka Hepa with the New Orleans Pelicans, and Ron Harper Jr. with the Toronto Raptors. Read on to learn more about each of these potentially future NBA-bound professionals:
1. Kai Sotto
Kai Sotto is a 21-year-old Filipino born in Las Piñas, Philippines. Standing at 7’3”, Sotto is considered to be one of the tallest Filipinos! Sotto is taller than his dad, Ervin, a former Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) player who stands at 6’7”. Sotto’s dad played for several PBA teams, including the Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs, Shell Turbo Chargers, Barangay Ginebra Kings, Air21 Express, Alaska Aces, and NLEX Road Warriors.
Sotto followed his dad’s footsteps and pursued a professional career in basketball. He played in high school for the Ateneo Blue Eaglets, and won the juniors’ division championship and MVP award. Many NCAA Division 1 schools, including the University of Southern California and DePaul University took notice of him, which encouraged him to move to the United States in 2019. However, he decided to forgo college to sign with the NBA G-League Ignite in 2020. Unfortunately, he was impacted by the COVID-19 travel restrictions. In 2021, he played for the Philippine national team during the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers. During the 2021-2022 season, he signed as a Special Restricted Player for the Adelaide 36ers of Australia’s National Basketball League. The year after, he declared for the 2022 NBA draft. After working out with multiple NBA teams, he went undrafted. And after switching agents, he returned to the 36ers for one more season before joining the Hiroshima Dragonflies of Japan’s B.League.
This summer, Sotto joined the Orlando Magic to play center in the 2023 NBA Summer League. Coach Dylan Murphy received a lot of criticism from disgruntled fans who were disappointed that he did not play Sotto for the first three games. It wasn’t until the fourth game against the Portland Trail Blazers, where Sotto played 13 minutes and scored six points, four rebounds, and three blocks. Unfortunately, after just eight minutes of action in the last game of the season against the Celtics, Sotto suffered a back injury. The severity of his injury is unclear, and yet another setback on reaching his NBA dream.
Now that the NBA Summer League has come to an end, the question is what Sotto will do next? Will the “Filipino Unicorn” get drafted by the Golden State Warriors, will he go play for the Philippines in the FIBA World Cup, or will he be spending time in rehab for his back? Golden State Warrior, Jonathan Kuminga, played with Sotto in the NBA G-League Ignite. In an interview with Rappler, he said that Sotto “has a chance to be a great player… he works hard, he has the size and ability to be an NBA player, and drive”. If Sotto ends up getting signed by an NBA team, he will make history becoming the first full-blooded Filipino player in the league.
On July 16, 2023, Sotto quoted Tony Robbins on Twitter: “No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying”. He continued to say, “Always thankful for the opportunities and blessings no matter how things turn out. I’ll be back”.
2. Kihei Clark
Kihei Clark is a 5’9”, 22-year-old Filipino-American born in Tarzana, California. His father is Chinese and African American, and his mother is of Filipino descent. Clark’s parents named him after the Hawaiian town, Kihei, where his father proposed to his mom. Clark’s father played NCAA Division II basketball in college, which inspired him to start the sport at eight years old.
Clark played basketball in high school, and earned MVP during his sophomore year at William Howard Taft Charter High School. He verbally committed to play basketball for the University of California at Davis, but decided not to go because he felt he could play at a higher level. In 2018, he decided to attend and play ball for the University of Virginia. Clark ended his college career as the Atlantic Coast Conference’s all-time leader in conference wins and minutes played and Virginia’s all-time leader in wins, games, starts, and assists.
After a five-year career at Virgina, the point guard was undrafted in the 2023 NBA Rookie Draft. He received an invitation to sign with the Utah Jazz for the 2023 NBA Summer League. After sitting on the bench for the first four games, the point guard made his debut against the Timberwolves. After playing six minutes, he was scoreless, but he logged one rebound, one assist, one turnover, and a personal foul. In his final game of the NBA Summer League, Clark contributed six points and three assists.
3. Kamaka Hepa
Kamaka Hepa is a 6 '10”, 23-year-old from Alaska. His father is of Hawaiian and Filipino descent, and his mother is an Iñupiaq from Utqiagvik, Alaska. He followed his mother’s footsteps and played basketball for Barrow High School, but eventually graduated from Jefferson High School in Portland. In 2018, Hepa represented the United States at the 2018 FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship, bringing home a gold medal.
After three seasons with the University of Texas, Hepa enrolled at the University of Hawaii to play for coach Eran Ganot. Hepa finished Top 5 in the NCAA in 2PT Efficiency for players taller than 6’9”. He was also number one in the Big West in Defensive Win Shares and number one on Hawaii’s team in +/-. After graduating with a master’s degree in Finance in May, he did pre-draft workouts with the Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors.
The former University of Hawaii basketball captain signed with the New Orleans Pelicans for the 2023 NBA Summer League. The forward was able to snag one of the 13 spots on their summer roster. In his debut against the Golden State Warriors, he was unproductive – he played nine minutes and remained scoreless. In his final game with the Pelicans, Hepa turned in a solid six points and five rebounds in 14 minutes of playing time off the bench.
4. Ron Harper Jr.
Ron Harper Jr. is a 6’5”, 22-year-old from Patterson, New Jersey. His father, Ron Harper, was an All-American college basketball player and played in the NBA for 15 seasons where he won five NBA titles. His mother, Maria, is from Bataan, Philippines and played college basketball for New Orleans before becoming a coach.
Harper attended and played basketball for Don Bosco Prep, and committed to play college basketball for Rutgers. In 2021, Harper declared for the NBA draft, but opted to return to Rutgers. The following year, he announced his intention to forgo his final season of collegiate eligibility and declared for the 2022 NBA draft. Unfortunately, he went undrafted. After being undrafted, Harper signed a two-way contract with the Toronto Raptors.
Harper is coming off a rookie season spent with the Raptors 905 of the G-League, and he was one of Toronto’s top contributors this summer. The shooting guard averaged double figures in three of his four appearances. Harper scored an average of 12 points per game on 34.9% shooting from the floor while also averaging 4.5 rebounds per game, two assists per game, and one steal per game.
A fun fact about Harper: his favorite Filipino dish is his Lola’s chicken adobo and rice. He’ll only eat his grandparents adobo or else he’s not eating it. Check out his attempt to make adobo on his Instagram, which he rates an eight out of 10.
Unlike the other three, Harper had a lot of playing time during the summer league. To be fair, he already had some experience with the G-League, and he’s been able to contribute and perform when given the opportunity. Nevertheless, it’s exciting to see Filipinos represented in the NBA. That’s enough to create major hype and celebration for Filipinos around the world who are obsessed with the sport. The Philippines has the best and most loyal basketball fans in the world! Let’s show them some love, support, and follow them along their journey.
Written by Jennifer Redondo
Co-Founder and Co-Author of In Her Purpose
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