One of Kai Sotto’s potential next destinations could be in jeopardy.
In a report by Sports Illustrated, the NCAA may be enforcing a new eligibility regulation that would prohibit international players who have previously played professionally from returning to the amateur ranks.
The document obtained by the publication explicitly states that athletes who have “entered an agreement with, competed on, or received compensation from a team that participates in a league with minimum compensation that exceeds actual and necessary expenses” would be deemed to have forfeited their collegiate eligibility.
Examples of such leagues include the MLB, NBA, NFL, Premier League, and WNBA, though other top professional basketball leagues could also fall under the classification.
This could potentially include the EuroLeague, the NBL Australia, and Japan’s B.League — the latter two of which Sotto has already played in.
(C) B.League
Since the start of the NCAA’s NIL era, several top collegiate programs have recruited players with overseas professional experience.
Last season, players such as Dame Sarr (Duke), Ivan Kharchenkov (Arizona), Elias Rapieque (Kansas State), and James Nnaji (Baylor) were all able to suit up.
In Sotto’s case, he played for Adelaide from 2021 to 2023, albeit as a “special restricted player.”
After his stint with the 36ers, he moved to Japan to play for Hiroshima, Yokohama, and, most recently, Koshigaya.
Sotto is now 24 years old.
Beyond this, the NCAA is also considering an age-based eligibility model, similar to the one used in the UAAP.
However, it remains unclear whether the NCAA will strictly enforce these new regulations this season.
The document obtained by SI also notes that eligibility decisions will be made on a “case-by-case” basis, taking into account factors such as the length of time a player received compensation above expenses, the level of the league they played in, and other considerations.
