Almost 11 months since his ACL tear, Gilas Pilipinas and B.LEAGUE star Kai Sotto opens up about his challenging recovery.
Gilas Pilipinas center Kai Sotto still remembers the exact moment his worst fear was confirmed.
Back in January 2025, The 7-foot-3 big man tore his ACL during a Koshigaya Alphas game against the SeaHorses Mikawa in the B.LEAGUE, an injury he never saw coming.
“Hindi ko na-expect na ganun. Hindi ko akalaing nag-snap yung tuhod ko,” Sotto recalled.
The first person he reached out to after such a major basketball injury? His father Ervin, a former hooper himself.
"Nag-worry ako, kinausap ko tatay ko. Tinanong niya ako kung kamusta daw ako, anong pakiramdam, kung may nag-snap ba. Sabi ko wala kasi akala ko wala, pero meron pala.”
Since joining Japan’s top basketball league in 2023, Kai had lined up several career plans. The injury erased all of them in one hit.
"Sobrang nalungkot ako kasi 'yung mga future plans ko, yung mga nilo-look forward ko, nawala silang lahat,” Sotto said.
“Kasi yung injury, hindi mo alam kung gaano katagal yung recovery.”
Following successful knee surgery, the real battle for Sotto came inside his head.
“Ang daming mental battles sa sarili ko lang mismo, kung paano ako makakabalik, kung makakabalik ako sa katulad ng dati.”
At the time of his injury, Kai was enjoying some of the best basketball of his career. He scored in double figures in each of the nine games that preceded his ACL tear, with six of them being double-doubles.
His season stats showed a player that was getting comfortable with his role: Sotto in 26 games of the 2024-25 season averaged B.LEAGUE career-highs of 13.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.0 assists, with 1.1 blocks per game to add.
Perhaps adding insult to injury, the 22-year-old was alone in Japan when it happened.
"Nahirapan lang ako kasi nung time na yun, mag-isa lang ako sa Japan. Naalala ko hirap na hirap ako sa bahay kasi hindi ako makaakyat ng stairs.”
His family didn’t waste time and went to Japan to check up on him, including his girlfriend.
“Natulungan nila ako sa mga kailangan kong gawin: sa pagkain ko, sa lahat. Natulungan din nila akong tanggalin yung isip ko sa basketball at sa injury ko.”
Months into rehab, the drag feels unbearable.
"Almost 10 months na akong nagre-rehab pero yung pakiramdam ko parang two years na akong hindi nagbabasketball,” he said.
Looking back, Kai admits he tried to fool himself into believing nothing snapped.
"Nung sinabi sa akin na ACL, parang inisip ko ulit yung moment. Parang meron ngang nag-snap, tinrick ko lang yung utak ko na wala.”
This wasn’t just minor injury for Sotto.
While an ACL tear is not the end of the world, it’s widely considered among the most serious injuries an athlete can deal with, a fact that Kai has come to realize.
"Hindi lang siya parang tapilok na after two weeks makakabalik ka na. Ito, parang 1 year siya na recovery and habang buhay na maintenance.”
He’s learned one thing: there’s no shortcut here.
"Hindi siya ganun kadali na basta-basta lang maka-move on."
Kai Sotto, who is still recovering from an ACL injury, will sit out for the men’s national team in the first window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
Gilas Pilipinas will play Guam twice in this window, completing their home-and-away set on November 28 and December 1.
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Gillian Trinidad began her career in the industry as a content producer before finding her voice as a feature writer.
She has covered a wide range of competitions—from esports titles like League of Legends, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and VALORANT to traditional sports and entertainment, including the WWE, PBA, and Gilas Pilipinas.