'He's been cleared to play': Kai Sotto to play for Philippines in FIBA World Cup says federation chief

Fans of the Philippine men's basketball team got good news on Tuesday as Kai Sotto has now been cleared to join the national team for the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Al Panlilio, the president of the Philippines' national federation for basketball, announced that Sotto will play for the Philippine team, known locally as Gilas Pilipinas, after his camp and the federation's medical team gave him clearance.

Panlilio made the announcement in the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the Meralco Gym in Pasig City, the longtime practice facility of the Philippines' internationals.

Panlilio said:

"The doctors of Kai and the SBP doctor, Dr. Randy Molo, spoke yesterday, and he's been cleared to play. That's good news."

According to Panlilio, the doctors held a simple meeting where they officially cleared Sotto to play without the need for an MRI result on his back injury.

Panlilio continued:

"We didn't see any MRI results. What we wanted was to put closure, really move forward, and just focus on the games is really our doctors met."

According to Panlilio, the Philippine team is preparing to make Sotto fit enough for their upcoming tune-up games against Ivory Coast, Montenegro, and Mexico over the weekend.

All games will be held behind closed doors at the nearby PhilSports Arena, which has been designated as one of the practice venues for all the teams playing their FIBA Basketball World Cup games in the Philippines.

With Sotto cleared, the Philippines now has more ceiling to compete against Karl-Anthony Towns and the Dominican Republic in the FIBA Basketball World Cup opener on August 25 at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue.

A recap of Kai Sotto's saga

The clearance for Kai Sotto to play for the Philippines could probably put an end to some drama that brewed between him and the national federation stemming from his injury.

Sotto injured his back during the Orlando Magic's last NBA Summer League game against the Boston Celtics last month.

Sotto returned home, but his camp said that he would not immediately join the Philippine team to recover faster.

However, he was seen watching a local basketball tournament as well as a game in the country's professional volleyball league, sparking questions if he was really injured.

This led to the national federation reportedly asking Sotto's camp to submit an MRI result of his back, or else he will likely be left out of the Philippines' final lineup for the FIBA Basketball World Cup.