Sports

Coach Cone on Kai Sotto Skipping Gilas Window 2: ‘His Long-Term Health Matters More Than Any Single Game’

Tabloid PH Newsdesk

Feb 23, 2026 — 1 min read

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone has addressed the swirling speculation about 7-foot-3 big man Kai Sotto’s absence from the upcoming FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers Window 2 in Manila — and he’s perfectly fine with it.

Sotto is barely a month into his comeback with the Koshigaya Alphas in Japan’s B.League after recovering from a torn ACL on his knee. Cone said he completely understands if Sotto’s team doesn’t want to release him to another coaching staff while he’s still adjusting.

‘If I was the coach of Kai and my pro team, I wouldn’t want to release him to another coach if I can’t guarantee the same attitude and same concern over him,’ Cone explained during an appearance on Noli Eala’s Power and Play sports program.

The veteran coach emphasized that while having Sotto for the home games against New Zealand (Feb. 26) and Australia (March 1) would be a massive boost, the bigger picture matters more. ‘The long-term viability of Kai is more important than the windows right in front of us. We need to have him when we get to the World Cup,’ Cone said.

Sotto averaged an impressive 15 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists during the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers before the ACL injury sidelined him. Gilas already has 15 of 16 pool members in practice — they’ll just have to make do without their tallest weapon for now. Basta healthy si Kai, that’s what counts.

Source: The Manila Times

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