Filipino center Kai Sotto has reaffirmed his commitment to the Philippine national team, even as he continues to chase his dream of making it to the NBA.
In a video shown during a press briefing on Thursday, the 18-year-old Sotto announced that he is "officially joining Gilas, the Philippine national team."
The 7-foot-2 teenager is a veteran of FIBA youth tournaments, having represented the country in both the continental and world levels. However, he has yet to make his debut for the men's national team.
Recently, the program director of Gilas Pilipinas, Tab Baldwin, said that the ball was "in Kai's court" in terms of his commitment to the national team. The coach expressed his hope that Gilas will be an "endgame" for Sotto, and not just the PBA.
Sotto answered the prayers of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) and Filipino fans all over the world as he stressed that he will be part of the national team moving forward.
"I'm really looking forward na makasama ulit ang aking mga former teammates, and ng mga PBA players na iniidolo ko dati pa," he said. "Together with them, I hope we play our best and bring glory to our country."
It was not immediately clear if Sotto will play for the Philippines in the February 2021 window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 qualifiers, which will be hosted in a bubble in Clark, Pampanga, but Baldwin said they are hopeful that will be the case.
"You've heard Kai, he said he's going to be available," said Baldwin. "Obviously, this is step one. We like to think we have every belief that he would there for February, but there are still discussions ongoing."
"Everybody is hopeful," he added. "We all can't wait to welcome Kai back to the Gilas fold and take the next step forward toward 2023 with him. I'm very excited to hear that he has a passion for it as well."