KAI Sotto is flying home next week to join Gilas Pilipinas in its buildup for the February window of the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers in Doha, Qatar and not a few fans aren't too happy to see him back.
Their issue?
They fear Sotto's long-awaited debut with the Gilas men's team may come at a high price, since the Philippine trip will entail the 7-foot-3 teen prospect not only leaving his Ignite team in its buildup for the NBA G League season but also missing a chunk of its games during the bubble campaign.
That scenario, the fans are sure, will jeopardize the kid's dream of becoming the first homegrown Filipino player to make it to the NBA - all for something that can wait, especially since the February games aren't exactly critical to Gilas' bid for qualification in the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup.
The trepidation is real considering Sotto is already at the G League level even before he turns 20 and therefore right on the doorstep of the NBA.
However, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) is looking at it from the opposite side, saying Sotto and his camp deserve commendation for keeping their word back when he left for US training that the teen prodigy will always make himself available to the national team when called.
"You just have to give credit sa sakripisyo ng bata, pati na rin ng team [n'ya], na tinupad nila ang kanilang pangako," Ryan Gregorio, a former PBA Coach of the Year and now the special assistant to SBP president Al Panlilio, told The Chasedown.
"Pumunta s'ya sa Amerika para mag-develop individually and hopefully makita rin ng mga foreign scouts. Pero ang inassure kasi sa atin noon, kapag tinawag s'ya ng ating bayan, automatic [na] it will always be a priority for him.
"It's just so nice that they're walking the walk and now it's just a matter of days before he gets back to the Philippines and wear that Gilas uniform proudly again," Gregorio added.
Gregorio's statements were consistent with the words of an insider in Sotto's camp who, when asked what prompted the teen's decision to come home for these Gilas games, cited the same promise he made to the national cause.
In fact, the insider said the decision to head to the US instead of the original plan to let Sotto play in Europe was likewise swayed by his commitment to Gilas.
"Kai playing for Gilas proves why we pushed him to train in the US in the first place," the insider bared, "because of the agreement that he will be allowed to play [for the Philippines] when needed.
"Kung nag-Europe s'ya, hindi pwede," he added.
Funny that at a time when players are vilified for turning their backs on Gilas, Kai Sotto is taking heat for remaining steadfast to his Gilas commitment.
Go figure.
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