By Jason Cruz
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Welcome to another edition of The Layup Drill. In this edition, we highlight two Laotian players making their mark in the NFL, a Korean Baseball star earning his shot with the Dodgers, another Asian star turning his game around, and Kaitlyn Chen, whose outstanding April has made her a rising star in women’s basketball.
Two Laotian players sign on with NFL teams
Malachi Moore poses for a portrait at the NFL football Combine on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025 in Indianapolis. (AJ Mast/AP Content Services for the NFL)
Two players of Laotian descent will get a chance to play in the NFL. The University of Alabama product, Malachi Moore, was chosen in the fourth round by the New York Jets. Moore played strong safety for the Crimson Tide. Originally from Alabama, Moore’s mother is Laotian. He became the first player of Laotian descent drafted in NFL history.
Northern Illinois safety Nate Valcarcel smiles after an NCAA college football game against Notre Dame, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in South Bend, Ind. (AP Photo/Michael Caterina)
Northern Illinois safety Nate Valcarcel was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Los Angeles Rams. Valcarcel played his first year at South Dakota State and then transferred to Northern Illinois. Valcarcel will have a chance to play in the Rams’ secondary this year.
Dodgers promote Korean baseball star
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Hyeseong Kim smiles as he celebrates after scoring against the Seattle Mariners during the third inning of a spring training baseball game Friday, March 7, 2025, in Peoria, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
The Los Angeles Dodgers called up infielder Hyeseong Kim from the minor leagues at the beginning of May. Kim was a star in the Korean Baseball Organization and the Dodgers signed the 26-year-old this offseason. Kim started the season with the Dodgers’ minor league team in Oklahoma City. He was nicknamed the “Commerce Comet” while playing in Oklahoma City. It was a reference to famous baseball player Mickey Mantle. The former New York Yankee great grew up in Commerce, Oklahoma. Kim’s first name translates to “comet” in a Korean dialect.
“I was very surprised,” Kim said through an interpreter about being called up. Kim takes the place of Tommy Edman, who was placed on the injured list.
In his debut, Kim was inserted in the Dodger lineup as a defensive replacement. In his second game, he came in as a pinch-runner and stole his first Major League base.
Sasaki earns 1st MLB
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki delivers against the Atlanta Braves in the second inning of a baseball game, Saturday, May 3, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Although he was lauded as another big signing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Roki Sasaki is being criticized for his mediocre start. The much-heralded pitcher from Japan was thought to be in line to be as good as last year’s signing of Yoshinobu Yamamoto. However, he was pulled from his first start at Dodger Stadium in the second inning. His first two games, he struggled with throwing strikes. After being pulled early from his start at Dodger Stadium, cameras picked up tears in Sasaki’s eyes as he was upset with his poor performance.
Sasaki finally turned it around with a win in his seventh start against the Atlanta Braves on May 3. He struck out four in five innings of work.
Kaitlyn Chen wins National Championship, gets drafted in WNBA
Princeton guard Kaitlyn Chen (20) (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Kaitlyn Chen was a standout player for the Princeton Tigers women’s college basketball team. Now, her star is even brighter after transferring to Connecticut (UConn) Joining the Huskies, she played a key role in helping them secure the women’s NCAA Championship.
Chen was a solid player for UConn as she averaged 7 points in 23 minutes for the Huskies. While it was lower than her average at Princeton, she still played valuable minutes during UConn’s championship run.
Despite transferring from Princeton for her final year of eligibility playing basketball, many of her Tigers teammates were in attendance to see Chen help UConn defeat South Carolina in the NCAA Women’s Championship Game.
Just nine days later, Chen learned that she was drafted in the third round by the Golden State Valkyries, the latest WNBA team out of the Bay Area. Chen became the first woman of Taiwanese descent to be drafted in the WNBA.
Playing for the Bay Area franchise comes full circle for Chen, who was born and raised in San Marino, California. Her parents were both immigrants from Taiwan.
The Valkyries will be playing their first season in the WNBA under head coach Natalie Nakase. Nakase, a former assistant coach for the Las Vegas Aces, is Japanese American.
Jason can be reached at newstips@nwasianweekly.com
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