It looks like Gilas Pilipinas will be taking on hoops behemoths Australia and New Zealand without big man Kai Sotto. The 7-foot-3 center sat out the national team’s first window of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers against Guam as he continued his recovery from an ACL tear he sustained last year. Now, it appears he’s a no-go for Window 2 as well.
There had been earlier whispers of Kai Sotto sitting out this upcoming window, and the latest reports suggest it actually is true.
“I can officially advise that Kai is not playing in this window. He is not 100% healed yet and has been asked to focus on his recovery and getting back to his rhythm with the team,” said Chao Espaldon, Sotto’s agent. “He will fly back on February 16 to spend three to four days in Manila for a personal break, then rejoin his Japan team.”
So, Kai Sotto Is Out
Kai Sotto’s absence is no doubt a huge blow to Gilas Pilipinas’ chances against both the Tall Blacks and the Boomers. This national team has tethered its long-term aspirations to the 23-year-old big man, and not having him against New Zealand and Australia will be more than just a tactical inconvenience; it will cause a fundamental disruption to a squad so invested in one man.
What’s worse, Gilas coach Tim Cone has long been banking on Sotto’s return as some sort of cure-all for the ills that plagued Gilas Pilipinas in 2025, culminating in the team’s disastrous FIBA Asia Cup campaign that saw them lose to—yes—Australia and New Zealand.
In fact, he recently emphasized to the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas how crucial Kai Sotto is to Gilas’ success, both in the here and now and in the long term.
“Hopefully, getting Kai back and reintegrating him back into the lineup will be our most pressing goal… At this point, we will take what he can give us and play the long game with him. We don’t want to assume or preempt anything with him until we have had more conversations with him and his handlers,” said Cone. “We want to make sure we get this right. Obviously, he is crucial to our success in the coming window, but his long-term health is also crucial to our overall program…”
Now, it appears Sotto and his handlers are prioritizing his long-term health, even if it means missing this upcoming window against continental powerhouses.
Yes, Kai Sotto Is Out—Now What?
Then again, it wasn’t too hard to envision this scenario of player and handler making a business decision after a career-altering injury. Cone himself should’ve anticipated it a long time ago. Now, he’ll have less than a month to figure out a way to beat the Tall Blacks and Boomers without his centerpiece and the very player he believes can singlehandedly turn Gilas’ sagging fortunes around.
If it’s any consolation, he’s got some pieces to work with—AJ Edu, Carl Tamayo, Kevin Quiambao, and the recently added Quentin Millora-Brown make for a decent enough frontline. Edu and QMB aren’t Sotto, but they have the size, mobility, and athleticism to crowd the paint and man the dunker’s spot offensively. Tamayo and Quiambao can take care of the scoring, although not from the post as Kai Sotto would normally do it. Justin Brownlee is still playing, and maybe he’s got some more magic left in him.
To put it simply, Cone will have to get extra creative now that his lynchpin will be out. Unfortunately, time isn’t on his side. Neither is circumstance.
That’s the problem with tying a program’s ultimate success to just one man.
