“I’m heading home soon. Sobrang excited ako na binigyan ng opportunity para makapaglaro sa Gilas ngayong February window,” said Sotto on his IG post. 

“Nagpapasalamat ako sa lahat ng sumusuporta at naniniwala sa along pangarap na makapaglaro para sa bayan at sa tamang panahon, sa NBA,” he added.

Definitely, Sotto will miss the start of the NBA G League season for his roster of G League Ignite. The season is set to starts on Feb. 8 having an Orlando bubble at the Walt Disney World Complex with 18 participating teams.

Meanwhile, Gilas Pilipinas coach Jong Uichico said that “If he is definitely set to come, I am very excited to see how much he has improved.”

Though Ignite coach Brian Shaw explicitly affirmed that playing on his team had a better competition to offer, Sotto still chooses to play for Gilas.

Gilas will match against its rival South Korea for 2 games and 1 game with Indonesia.

The 18-year-old NBA prospect will join the bubble with PBA players Kiefer Ravena, CJ Perez, and Justin Chua, along with the Gilas cadets who played in the last window of FIBA Cup 2021, except Kobe Paras.

Gilas will start the practice on Friday, also joining them are RR Pogoy, Troy Rosario, and Raul Soyud.

“I’m very blessed to have my supporters and I won’t let you down,” Sotto concluded.