National Basketball Association (NBA) G-League Team Ignite member Kai Sotto is coming home to the Philippines to play for Gilas Pilipinas at the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers this February.
Sotto is currently training with the NBA Minor League for a shot at being the first Philippines-born athlete to join the NBA professional league.
The 18-year-old UAAP Juniors MVP of the Ateneo Blue Eagles first announced in December 2020 his intent to join the national men’s basketball squad in the FIBA tournament, a move that was welcomed by the team and the nation.
The Filipino basketball star posted an Instagram video on January 21, 2021, announcing his plans to return to the country in time for the Gilas Men’s match against South Korea on February 18 and 22, and against Indonesia on February 20.
Speaking mostly in Filipino, Sotto shared his excitement at the prospect of playing for Gilas Pilipinas and thanked everyone who believed in his dream to continue playing for the Philippines while aiming for his NBA dream.
The 7’3″ center will be joining the Gilas training pool already in training at the INSPIRE Sports Academy in Calamba, Laguna, before heading off to the third window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers in Clark, Pampanga.
Gilas Pilipinas is currently first-ranked in Group A with a 3-0 record, leading the teams from Korea, Indonesia, and Thailand. The Philippine National Team first dominated Indonesia in Jakarta in February 2020 and afterward had a two-game run against Thailand in Bahrain when the games resumed in November.
After three windows, the top two teams from each group will qualify for the FIBA Asia Cup 2021. The six third-placed teams will advance to play a final qualifying tournament in February 2021 and the Top four from this tournament will qualify for FIBA Asia Cup 2021.
SEND CHEERS in the comments below NBA G-League’s Kai Sotto as he comes home to play for Gilas Pilipinas in FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers!
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