Gilas big man Kai Sotto gets cleared to play in FIBA World Cup

Kai Sotto has been cleared to play for the Gilas Pilipinas national team come the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

"Our doctors spoke to his doctors and he's been cleared to play. So that's good news," Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) president Al Panlilio said during the special PSA Forum on Tuesday at the Meralco headquarters in Ortigas.

Sotto sustained a back injury during his NBA Summer League stint with the Orlando Magic that eventually forced him to miss Gilas' pocket tournament in China earlier this month.

He had been attending Gilas practices but the 7-foot-3 center was only recently cleared by his doctors as well as the federation's to finally suit up for Gilas in the global cagefest.

This development is a boost for the national team, especially after the announcement of another big man, Poy Erram, that he was retiring from the national team.

—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA Integrated News