Kai Sotto. Photo from Fiba.com
MANILA, Philippines—While the Philippines dominated Thailand in the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup qualifying window in Bahrain, Kai Sotto was in the United States training with his teammates in the NBA G League Ignite team.
Sotto watched as his Gilas teammates rack up two wins in as many games against Thailand in the Manama bubble, but the 7-foot-2 center hopes to rejoin the national team for the February window of the qualifiers.
If his schedule permits.
“To be honest there’s a higher probability that I would play in this upcoming window but it also depends on the schedule because they said we might have the season next year,” said Sotto Thursday in a virtual press conference.
“It depends on the schedule but I look forward to playing in the next window.”
Sotto has yet to play at the senior level but has represented the Philippines several times in the juniors averaging a double-double of 14.6 points and 10.3 rebounds across all events.
The current Gilas team is comprised of collegiate stars and players who have graduated but have yet to play in the pros professional basketball, making Sotto a perfect fit in terms of age and experience.
Gilas is atop Group A with a perfect 3-0 record and is set to play Indonesia and Korea in the coming window.