Kai Sotto eyes January 2026 return from ACL injury

Kai Sotto (11)

(FIBA)

MANILA, Philippines — Gilas Pilipinas big man Kai Sotto said he is “on track” on his recovery from a torn ACL, as he shows support to his national team teammates ahead of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers first window.

Sotto, who tore his ACL at the start of the year, was already putting up shots during Gilas’ training on Thursday at the Upper Deck in Pasig City.

But he will not be able to play for the national team during the first window that will start next week.

Nevertheless, Sotto said he will be joining the team in Guam.

In an interview with reporters, Sotto said that his targeted return to basketball action is in January, exactly a year since his injury.

“Target sana January. Hopefully, walang maging setback or anything. Sana smooth pa rin hanggang… So, yun yung target. Sana makalaro na ako by January,” he said.

“On track naman… Hindi pa ako pwede mag-join sa team practices. Pero may mga sariling program na ako pagdating sa court, sa weight room, sa rehab part. Pero hindi pa ako pwede sa team practices. Pero may sariling na akong program,” he added.

The 7-foot-3 big man said he constantly feels discomfort on his knee, but it is “getting better.”

And while being around trainings make him envious, it is pushing him to be more focused on rehab and recovery.

“Sobrang nakaka…. I won’t say gigil, pero iba yung feelings ko, mula nung na-injure ako hanggang ngayon, yun pa rin yung iniisip ko kung ano yung pakiramdam ulit pag nakalaro ulit ako. And as much as possible nga, ayoko nanonood ng practice kasi mas naiingit ako lalo e,” he stressed.

“Pero yun, pag nanonood ako ng practice with the team dito, mas nagaganahan akong mag-rehab, mag-focus pa sa recovery ko para mas makabalik pa nang mas maayos and parang kung makakatulong ako sa team, kailangan ako ng team.”

Gilas has started training at the Inspire Sports Academy in Laguna on Friday, and Sotto will also be with the team, head coach Tim Cone said.

Cone, in a separate interview, said that Sotto’s involvement in trainings also helps the squad.

“Kai is going to be there in Inspire, but he's going to be… I know you didn't see the beginning of our practice, but he was involved in just, you know, doing soft defense against guys at the post. And it was something he didn't really have to do. He could have just been sitting on the side and doing nothing. But, no, he came in and tried to join in as much as he could,” he said.

“But he's still doing his own rehab stuff. So when we start doing offense and defense, then he goes and starts doing his rehab and weight training. So that's basically what's going to happen in Inspire. He'll be with us. He'll be able to watch the videos and do all that stuff, which is important because that's a lot of learning that goes on.”

Gilas’ stay at Inspire will also give the whole team continuity, and will boost their chemistry, the coach underscored.

“The thing about Inspire is that we're together for not just the two hours in practice or the two and a half hours of practice in one. We've got another one, so it's like we're together for five hours and we're together for breakfast, we're together for lunch, we're together for dinner. We're together when we do weights. We're together when we're doing post-dinner video,” he stated.

“So literally, we're like 12 hours hanging out with each other throughout the whole course of the day, as opposed to coming here and being here for two and a half hours and then going home. So it really gives us a lot more continuity and a lot more follow-up, immediate follow-up. We can look at what we did, so it’s just a much, much more efficient use of our time.”