CHICAGO - As it lumbers through another challenging week headed to the August 25 tip-off of the FIBA World Cup 2023, Gilas Pilipinas just got a whiff of good news.
Kai Sotto is arriving in the Philippines tonight with all the intent and enthusiasm to play for the national team.
But the 7-foot-3 NBA Summer League campaigner wouldn't be available to practice with the pool immediately as coach Chot Reyes and his staff had hoped.
READ: Kai Sotto nowhere in sight in Gilas practice
"He will rest his back for 10 days. But if he feels better, he can come back (to basketball-related activities) earlier," a source from the 7-foot-3 center's camp told SPIN.ph.
Besides making sure he is 100 percent healthy, Kai also needs some precious "me time" after literally criss-crossing the globe playing professional hoops for the past few years.
"Kai has some personal things to take care of and needs down time as well. So he won't be heading to practice when he lands. People need to leave him alone for a bit to recharge and heal," a separate source close to the former Ateneo high school star also told SPIN.ph.
ALWAYS READY FOR THE FLAG
Although he seemed non-committal when addressing the issue of availability to reporters in Las Vegas, it is now implicitly clear that Sotto's desire to represent the flag had never wavered.
He just needs a little space to navigate one event to another.
Meanwhile, an official at the Samahang Basketbol Ng Pilipinas (SBP), who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue especially since both sides couldn't come to terms during the February window, revealed that Sotto hasn't signed a contract yet to play for the World Cup.
But talks are progressing well and a deal is imminent.
And that's a win-win for both.
After a relatively solid Summer League appearance, one marred by back spasms and limited playing minutes, Sotto could use the World Cup as the giant stage with which to burnish his credentials as a future NBA player.
Gilas, on the other hand, secures the services of a foundational piece who adds length, size and defensive teeth to the frontline. While he may miss time to practice, Sotto is familiar with Reyes' system and has a high basketball IQ that would allow him to quickly catch up and meld with his teammates.

JORDAN HEADING UPDATE.
This is how badly Jordan Heading wanted to play for Gilas in the World Cup. He paid his own way to the Philippines to join and practice with the team. But his back issue just "isn't well enough for him to play," said a source familiar with the situation.
The sweet-shooting 6-foot-2, 189-pound Heading, who shot 35 percent from 3 and 42 percent from the field during his time with the Japan B2 League this past season, would have been a great addition to the roster with his sugary sweet shooting touch.
Instead, the 27-year old Heading, whose contract with the Nagasaki Velca expires this July and is getting multiple overseas offers, is headed to the US for rehab.
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