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Not even the lure of fulfilling the ultimate basketball dream of joining the NBA can keep Kai Sotto from giving something back to his home country.
Philippine 7-foot-2 basketball sensation Kai Sotto announced that he is officially joining Gilas Pilipinas despite currently training with the G League Ignite Select team in the US.
« I’m very excited to announce that I am officially joining the Philippines national team, Gilas, » said Sotto in a video released during the announcement of the groundbreaking global partnership between FIBA and Smart on Thursday, April 17th. December, was shown.
No mention has been made of whether Sotto will debut for the men’s national team in the third window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 qualifiers, which will be played in the Philippines in February, but the addition of Sotto will certainly one to the roster give an enormous boost.
« I’m really looking forward to joining my former teammates and the PBA players I adored as adults, » said Sotto in Filipino. “I hope that together with them we will do our best and bring glory to our country. ”
« I’m very excited. I hope to see you all in our games, but before that I hope everyone is safe, ”added Sotto. (READ: Kai Sotto compares his game to former Lakers star Pau Gasol)
Gilas Pilipinas leads Group A with an undefeated 3-0 record and will face powerhouses South Korea and Indonesia in the upcoming FIBA window that will take place in a bubble in Clark, Pampanga.
The program director of Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), Tab Baldwin, made it clear that discussions are still ongoing to fully secure the engagement of the 18-year-old star.
« At this point you heard Kai and he said he will be available. Obviously, this is the first step, ”he said. “We’d like to believe that we firmly believe he’ll be there in February, but there are still discussions. ”
Still, this is a very welcome development for a national team program that always needs serviceable centers, as evidenced by the steps to naturalize Ivorian college star Ange Kouame.
« Everyone is hopeful. We all can’t wait to welcome Kai back to the Gilas group and take the next step towards 2023 with him, « said Baldwin. « I’m very excited to hear that he has a passion for this too. «
If the schedules match and Sotto is able to attend Gila’s training, he will enjoy the company of other great men like Justine Baltazar, Isaac Go and Kemark Carino, all of the blues and whites in the second window in Bahrain. – with a report by JR Isaga / Rappler. com
Philippine Men’s National Basketball Team, FIBA, Philippine Basketball Association, Philippines, Tab Baldwin, FIBA Basketball World Championship, FIBA Asia Cup Qualification 2021
World News – AU – Kai Sotto on Join Gilas Pilipinas in the middle of the NBA dream hunt
Ref: https://www.rappler.com
