Gilas Pilipinas again came through on Thursday, beating a team—the Tall Blacks of New Zealand—it had not beaten in four previous tries to notch its first win in Window 2 of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers.
Magic Brownlee was back to being his usual magical self, contributing an all-around game of 26 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. But he had plenty of help—including an equally masterful near triple-double from Gilas Pilipinas big man Kai Sotto, who finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.
More than the numbers, the 7-foot-3 youngster brought an undeniable presence on the floor for Gilas Pilipinas, a palpable confidence, a contagious certainty, a controlled aggression—like he was born for the moment, ready for it and inspired by it.
It wasn’t always that way for the 22-year-old beanpole, especially not with the men’s team. Sotto hasn’t always been this assertive, this self-assured, this good. In fact, he has struggled at times, mostly failing to live up to the immense expectations that come with being an agile 7-foot-3 big with a feathery touch. He got pushed around a lot and even bullied. He usually retreated rather than move forward, shrank when he had to come up big, and shied away from the moment.
Things cratered at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, where Sotto averaged a measly 6 points and 4 rebounds, with an almost laughable player efficiency of 8.
Sotto Settles in and Is Showing That Potential
The Sotto who showed up against the Tall Blacks at the Mall of Asia Arena on Thursday didn’t struggle. Neither did he get pushed around nor retreat. He didn’t shy away from the moment; he embraced it. He made a difference all game long by helping Gilas hold off New Zealand and move closer to clinching a spot in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup.
It was, pardon the hyperbole, glorious redemption for Sotto, who has had to deal with criticism—some fair, some completely uncalled for—throughout his Gilas Pilipinas journey. On Thursday night, Sotto silenced his detractors, at least for the meantime, with arguably his best performance yet for the national team at this level.
And it seems the big man is ready to shut up his critics once and for all, mostly because this big game doesn’t appear to be a one-off but rather a continuation of superb play.
It started at the 2024 FIBA Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Riga, Latvia, where Sotto proved he could hang with the best in the world with an 18-point, 8-rebound effort against then-sixth-ranked Latvia. His solid production in Window 1 of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers—15.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.5 blocks—against Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei showed renewed consistency and continuing growth.
This run, along with Sotto’s vastly improved showing in the Japan B.League (12.1 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.2 BPG), suggests a young big finally getting it—one game at a time. It is both a cause for celebration given what Sotto has gone through in his young career and a reason for optimism for a Gilas squad laying the foundation of a winning culture that can compete with the world’s best.
After all, height is still important in basketball, and having a skilled 7-foot-3 centerpiece is as good a building block for winning basketball as any.
Sotto remains a work in progress. But it looks like he is starting to take on that challenge.
