Kai Sotto says ‘huge pressure’ for Gilas vs Jordan, Iran

Gilas Pilipinas’ Kai Sotto during a Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers 2025 game against Hong Kong at Mall of Asia Arena. -MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines–Kai Sotto is raring to help Gilas Pilipinas get back on track in the Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers in his return to national team duties after almost two years.

Gilas got a big boost after Sotto showed up in the early phase of preparation for the crucial home games this weekend against Jordan and Iran at Mall of Asia Arena.

The 7-foot-3 is expected to play a prominent role in Gilas’ bid to improve its 2-4 record, currently sitting out of the top four spots in Group E, and there’s an urgency to win most, if not all games of the second round.

READ: Tim Cone admits much to work on even as Gilas welcomes Kai Sotto back

“It’s a huge pressure for us,” Sotto said during Monday’s press conference arranged by the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas at Mall of Asia Arena.

“But that’s the pressure that we need. Since the start of practice, we’ve been improving. And as long as we help each other and we trust each other, we’ll get what we want.”

Sotto last played for Gilas in November 2024 at the Asia Cup Qualifiers, and his presence was sorely missed since.

Coach Tim Cone was initially lukewarm with the prospect of Sotto joining, given that he has spent most of the offseason playing pickup games in his hometown of Las Piñas, getting married to actress Rere Madrid, and awaiting the birth of his first child.

READ: Kai Sotto sees action in Gilas Pilipinas’ tune-up win over Ulsan

There were also reports that Sotto continues to pursue his NBA dream, this time by way of playing in the US NCAA.

“It wasn’t until two or three days before we started [practicing] that we got confirmation that Kai was going to join us,” Cone said. “We’ve always been in conversations with him and his group. So we were surprised as everybody else.

“But it was like, we were jumping for joy that he decided to join us,” he added.