MANILA, Philippines – Even after a roller-coaster run with Gilas Pilipinas in the FIBA World Cup, Kai Sotto said the experience remains beyond compare – never mind “all the hate and distractions.”

The Philippines wrapped up its campaign with a 1-4 record and ended up at 24th out of the 32 participating countries, still good enough to secure one of the 19 Olympic Qualifying Tournament berths up for grabs in the World Cup.

As Sotto got erratic playing time, Gilas also parried criticisms all tournament – from their painful four-game skid to head coach Chot Reyes’ alleged ineffective system.

“People who never wore this Pilipinas jersey will never understand the difficulties, pressure, and the sacrifices we made,” Sotto wrote in a social media post Wednesday, September 6. “But also can’t compare to the fun and joy we experienced after it all ended.”

The 7-foot-3 beanpole also thanked Filipino fans for showing up in the games, where Sotto started slow – playing only a minute in his World Cup debut against Dominican Republic – but eventually found his way in the playing shuffle. 

“Thank you Pilipinas! Your support was truly felt and it gave us more strength during the World Cup,” said Sotto.

“What an experience for me, despite all the hate and distractions, I still got a lot of positives from all of this.”

Sotto averaged 6 points and 4 rebounds in 14.2 minutes of action in five games. His best showing came in the Philippines’ breakthrough win against China, 96-75, where he logged in 12 points and 6 rebounds in 19 minutes of play.   

“I was just a young kid dreaming to play in this 2023 World Cup years ago, but now I am proud to say that I’ve been a part of it,” said the 21-year-old Sotto. 

Sotto, who saw action in the NBA Summer League before joining the national team’s World Cup campaign, is expected to return to Japan to join the Hiroshima Dragonflies in the B. League. 

Like the other Filipino imports in the Gilas squad, Sotto won’t see action in the Asian Games set to tip off in Hangzhou, China on September 23.

“Little Kai thought this World Cup would be the peak basketball that I would play in, but now after all of it, I’m confident and excited to say there’s still way more to it along the way,” he said.

“I hate talking about the future but this time I’m looking forward to it, Pilipinas is only gonna get better.” – Rappler.com