Not even the lure of fulfilling the ultimate basketball dream of getting into the NBA can stop Kai Sotto from giving back to his home country.
The 7-foot-2 Filipino basketball sensation Kai Sotto announced that he is officially joining Gilas Pilipinas even as he’s currently busy training with the G League Ignite Select Team in the US.
“I am super excited to announce that I am officially joining Gilas, the Philippine national team,” said Sotto in a video shown during the announcement of the groundbreaking global partnership between FIBA and Smart on Thursday, December 17.
It was not mentioned if Sotto will debut for the men’s national team in the third window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers to be hosted by the Philippines in February, but the addition of Sotto will surely be a huge boost for the squad.
“I am really looking forward to join my former teammates and the PBA players that I idolized growing up,” said Sotto in Filipino. “Together with them, I hope we play our best and to bring glory to our country.”
“I am very excited. I hope to see you all in our games, but before that, I hope everybody stays safe,” added Sotto. (READ: Kai Sotto likens his game to former Lakers star Pau Gasol)
Gilas Pilipinas leads Group A with an undefeated 3-0 record and is scheduled to play powerhouse South Korea and Indonesia in the upcoming FIBA window, which will be held in a bubble in Clark, Pampanga.
Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) program director Tab Baldwin clarified that discussions are still underway to fully secure the 18-year-old star’s commitment.
“At this point, you’ve heard Kai and he said he’s going to be available. Obviously this is step one,” he said. “We’d like to think that we have every belief that he would be there for February, but there are still discussions ongoing.”
Still, this is a very welcome development for a national team program always in need of serviceable centers, as evidenced by the steps currently being taken to naturalize Ivorian college star Ange Kouame.
“Everybody is hopeful. We all can’t wait to welcome Kai back to the Gilas fold and take the next step forward toward 2023 with him,” Baldwin said. “I’m very excited to hear that he has a passion for it as well.”
If the schedules align and Sotto is able to join Gilas training, he will enjoy the company of other high-upside prospect big men like Justine Baltazar, Isaac Go, and Kemark Carino, all of whom bannered the blue and white in the second window in Bahrain. – with a report from JR Isaga/Rappler.com
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