Kai Sotto will not rejoin Ignite in NBA G League

Kai Sotto will no longer rejoin Ignite in the NBA G League.

According to a statement released on Tuesday, the development is a "mutual decision" between the team and the Filipino prospect.

"Kai and the team both understood the challenges for him to rejoin Ignite given the current international travel constraints, quarantine times and health and safety protocols," said NBA G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim.

"Kai will always be part of the extended Ignite family and we wish him continued success as he pursues his NBA dreams."

Sotto, who moved to the United States with his family in 2019, arrived in Manila earlier this month to join Gilas Pilipinas for the February window of the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers.

The Philippines was supposed to host the games in Clark but the event was moved to Doha, Qatar due to the travel ban imposed by the government due to concerns over the new coronavirus variant initially found in the United Kingdom.

The Doha bubble was also eventually scrapped due to the pandemic situation in Qatar.

Following the cancellation, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) said Sotto would return to the US.

FIBA later said that the Philippines is once again hosting the qualifiers in a yet to be determined schedule.

—MGP, GMA News