Ignite coach Shaw unsure if Kai Sotto can join G League bubble

Ignite head coach Brian Shaw commends Kai Sotto for wanting to represent the Philippine team, but admits he’s unsure if the 7-foot-3 talent can still return and suit up for the NBA G League season in February.

In a virtual media conference on Thursday, January 28, Manila time, Shaw made it clear that he and the rest of the Ignite team fully support Sotto’s decision to join Gilas Pilipinas for the third and final window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers.

“One of the things, before all these guys entered the program, was that we weren’t gonna hold anybody back. We commend our players for wanting to represent their countries in that fashion,” said Shaw.

“That was a decision that Kai and his team wanted (and) thought was important for him so we supported him in going to be part of that,” he added.

Shaw mentioned that back in November, Ignite big man Princepal Singh also left the squad to play for his national team, India, during the second window of the qualifiers. 

However, for Sotto, it is a whole different situation as the start of the G League season will coincide with the February window of the qualifiers.

The Ignite team, led by Fil-Am guard Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga, will make its G League debut at the NBA’s Disney World bubble in Orlando Florida on February 10 against Jeremy Lin and the Santa Cruz Warriors. 

All teams are scheduled to play 15 regular season games until March 6, with the single-elimination playoff set to begin on March 8 and the final on March 11.

On the other hand, the third window of the qualifiers was originally scheduled in Clark, Pampanga from February 18-21, but its status is now up in the air as the Philippines withdrew its hosting due to travel restrictions in the country.

“Unfortunately, a lot of it is during the time of when we’re gonna be in the bubble and so we just wish him the best. We worked with him up until the point that he left, and hopefully he’ll be able to go there and perform well,” said Shaw.

“Depending on the timing of everything, you know, especially because he’s traveling internationally, you know the quarantine times can be a lot longer so we don’t know how that’s going to play out when it’s all said and done, in terms of him coming back and joining the team or not,” he added.

In the end, the veteran coach Shaw still wishes the towering Filipino basketball wunderkind Sotto the best in the upcoming qualifiers.

“We want him to do well in those competitions and if the timing and everything comes back, we’ll see what happens then,” said Shaw. –Rappler.com