MANILA, Philippines—Ignite head coach Brian Shaw showed his support for Kai Sotto’s decision to join Gilas Pilipinas for the February window of the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup Qualifiers but said he’s unsure whether the young center can still join his NBA G League in time for the league’s bubble competition.
Shaw, in a virtual press conference early Thursday, said that with the Asian competition set to take place in the same month as the G League season he’s unsure whether Sotto will have enough time to play with Ignite.
“That was a decision that Kai and his team thought was important for him so we support it, him going and being a part of that,” said Shaw Thursday. “Unfortunately a lot of it is during the time when we’re going to be in the bubble, we just wish him the best.”
Gilas Pilipinas will start the third Fiba qualifying window on February 18, the same month that the G League will play its 2021 season at ESPN Wide World of Sports inside Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.
Shaw was concerned that Sotto will have to spend several weeks of quarantine when he travels between the Philippines, Fiba’s host country for Group A, and the United States.
“Because he’s traveling internationally, the quarantine times can be a lot longer so we don’t know how it’s gonna play out once it’s all said and done in terms of him coming back and joining the team or not,” said Shaw.
Nevertheless, the three-time NBA champion supported Sotto’s decision to represent the Philippines in international competition.
“We want him to do well in those competitions and in the time and everything that he comes back you know we’ll see what happens then,” said Shaw. “One of the things, before all these guys entered the program, was we’re not gonna hold anybody back we commend our players for wanting to represent their countries.”