Pinoy big man Kai Sotto officially begins his road to recovery after undergoing ACL surgery.
Filipino basketball star Kai Sotto has successfully undergone surgery for his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, as shown in his social media post on Thursday, January 30.
Sotto took to Instagram to share a photo of himself in a hospital bed, captioning it, "Operation done. TYL🙏🏽," signaling gratitude for a successful procedure.
His girlfriend, Rere Madrid, also expressed her support, commenting, "I love you 🤍."
The 7-foot-3 center suffered the injury after falling to his knees during the Koshigaya Alphas’ Japan B.League match against the Seahorses Mikawa.
[ALSO READ: Kai Sotto describes ACL tear as "darkest day" of basketball career]
Since then, the Alphas have placed Sotto on the injury list as his injury will force him to miss the entire season.
Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone has also ruled out the promising big man for the FIBA Asia Cup in August.
[ALSO READ: Kai Sotto expected to be out for nine months to a year, says Tim Cone]
Cone says Sotto is expected to be out of action from nine months to a year, which means the big man will not be able to play in the final window of the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers in February and likely even the main draw in Saudi Arabia.
However, Cone expects to see Kai back in action for the FIBA World Cup qualifiers.
Fans and supporters have flooded social media with well wishes, hoping for a smooth and speedy recovery for the 22-year-old big man.
Sotto remains a key figure in Philippine basketball, and his return will be highly anticipated as he continues his journey in professional basketball.