During the 2018 NBTC All-Star Game, the highlight of the event was definitely Jalen Green’s clock back slam on Kai Sotto.
The 7-foot-2 Sotto, who is just 16 years young, was wary of featuring in another Green highlight reel. He’d asserted that he would be on guard this time around.
“Kung ikaw, papayagan mo ba na madakdakan ka ulit?” he quipped during the press conference of the tournament.
However, it was déjà vu for the Ateneo Blue Eaglet during the Supreme 16 clash between the team from Quezon City and the team of Fil-Ams.
JALEN GREEN POSTERIZES 7’2 KAI SOTTO! ? @JalenRomande #NBTConESPN5 #MadnessInMOA pic.twitter.com/6mFLn3oCSW
— ESPN5 (@Sports5PH) March 20, 2019
Moreover, the 6-foot-5 Green – who is the reigning FIBA Under-17 World Cup MVP – finished with a 90-67 win, eliminating Sotto and the team out of Quezon City.
But the 17-year-old Fil-Am meant no disrespect to Sotto, saying it was a spur-of-the-moment action.
“Last year, it was like a big thing too, the whole match-up thing in the All-Star Game and stuff like that,” recalled Green, who had 31 points, six rebounds, nine assists, and three steals. “We’re both making a name for ourselves out here.
“Kai is already ranked number one. So when I came out here this time and I saw the opportunity to dunk on him, I just went up, you know?”
The top high school prospect is the class of 2020 in the US though knows what Sotto is going through. And his only advice for him is to toughen up and just enjoy the moment.
“Kai’s young. He’s really young, so he’s still got a lot of potential. He’s still got a lot of growing up to do a lot of developing. He’s 7-foot-2 and you can see that his body is not caught up to the game yet,” Green opined.
“He’s still got a lot to go. I think he’s gonna be really good. Just needs to keep working, get stronger and he’ll be fine.”
