On his first night back in a Gilas Pilipinas uniform, Kai Sotto reminded everyone of how valuable he is to the national team.
The 7-foot-3 center suited up for the Philippines for the first time since November 24, and he shined bright in his return, helping Gilas outlast Jordan in overtime, 82-81, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
It has been a long road back for Sotto. He tore his ACL in January 2025 while playing for the Koshigaya Alphas in Japan’s B.League, and though he returned to action for them last January, he sat out both of Gilas’ FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifier windows earlier this year. The Philippines lost all four of those games, falling twice apiece to the higher-ranked New Zealand and Australia. Sotto missed the second window while trying to catch on with a team during the 2026 NBA Summer League, though he ultimately didn’t land a roster spot.
His return this August couldn’t have come at a better time, with naturalized forward Justin Brownlee unavailable due to injury. Sotto filled that void admirably, becoming one of the hubs of Gilas’ offense against Jordan. He was a matchup nightmare on the offensive end and an intimidating presence protecting the rim on the other, finishing with 18 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, a steal, and two blocks.
His rebounding was especially decisive down the stretch for the Philippines. Sotto grabbed six total boards across the fourth quarter and overtime, highlighted by four on the offensive end. He scored off two of these offensive rebounds twice, once on a putback with 3:08 left in regulation that tied the game, and again with 42 seconds left in overtime to pull the Philippines back within one.
He created for others too, setting up a CJ Perez floater late in the fourth quarter after Scottie Thompson had done the same for one of his own baskets earlier in the period. Then Sotto sealed the win himself, capping overtime by blocking Abdullah Olajuwon’s potential game-winner at the final buzzer.
The win improved the Philippines to 3-4 in the second round of Group E, still trailing the three-way tie of Jordan, Iran, and New Zealand at 5-2, along with an undefeated Australia squad.
If he can stay healthy from here, Sotto should continue to be exactly the kind of difference-maker who can carry Gilas Pilipinas through the rest of this qualifying stretch and potentially toward a spot in the 2027 FIBA World Cup. The Philippines have missed him for far too long, and on this night, he made sure everyone remembered why.
