Kai Sotto forced to sit out pre-FIBA World Cup games in China due to injury

Photo from Kai Sotto/Instagram

No matter the thrill of epic slam dunks and gravity-defying moves on the court, an injury always seems to hover like a dark cloud above any basketball talent. Even Kai Sotto wasn’t exempted.

You might remember how he was benched in the first games of the NBA summer league, but fortunately, the odds were in his favor then as he was able to suit up against the Portland Trail Blazers on July 14.

Not so this time around.

National team manager Butch Aquino confirmed on Monday that Sotto wouldn’t be flying to China to join Gilas Pilipinas for two tune-up games.

Sotto himself decided to nurse his back injury before he graces the courts again. He suffered from a spasm during his last NBA summer league game vs. the Boston Celtics.

Kai Sotto unsure for China pocket tourney participation as injured back yet to heal, by @justinvalencia_ #ReadMore >> https://t.co/lC0GADOdnf#FIBAWC #LabanPilipinas pic.twitter.com/a9ETamP8I2

— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) July 30, 2023

Kai Sotto still showing some love

Being Filipino, Sotto is not one to lose spirit. Even with his injury, he still showed up for their tune-up game against Ateneo de Manila University last week.

In addition, he also participated in two Philippine team practices on Monday, where he discussed his decision not to play with coach Chot Reyes.

With the FIBA games pushing through, clouds of concern have been raised for Sotto’s full recovery. His towering height could have been a perfect weapon against the Dominican Republic’s Karl-Anthony Towns and Al Horford.

But basketball fanatics shouldn’t worry about no Kai on the court though. The Philippine team still has plenty of ace players on the team, including the formidable trio of Japheth Aguilar, June Mar Fajardo, and AJ Edu.

The seasoned players are prepared to hold down the fort in the next games against Senegal and Iran from Aug. 2 to 6 amid the absence of Sotto’s towering court presence.

In addition to this hoop scoop, Lebanon is also skipping the China match and traveling to Abu Dhabi instead. Meanwhile, the excitement of b-ball fans came to a screeching halt as Jordan Clarkson will no longer play for the Philippines in the China friendlies, according to Gilas coach Chot Reyes in an interview with News5. “He will just go straight to Manila.”

There are two more friendlies on the line after the China trip to ensure Clarkson is fully coordinated with the team’s system for the FIBA Basketball World Cup.