Gilas in Motion: Sotto, QMB, Motor Mike and Drama Before FIBA

If you had to name two players who will lead the future of the Gilas Pilipinas national team, Kai Sotto and Quentin Millora-Brown would be fine selections.

Everything about Sotto screams “main man,” from his freakish size to his scary skill set that lends itself well to 21st-century hoops. 

Millora-Brown is your favorite player’s favorite coach’s dream: a selfless glue guy who will make vital plays whether or not the ball is in his hands.

Sotto and QMB are cornerstones. They’re pillars. Heck, I’ll say it: They’re two towers that signal hope, not doom, for a nation on a perpetual quest to validate itself within the basketball realm.

Heading into the February 2026 window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers, the last thing any of us wanted was high drama that threatened the availability of one or both of these players. Yet, here we are, nearly missing out on the services of one towering figure when we were all but certain that the other towering figure wouldn’t be involved in the equation at all. 

This messy situation, by the way, is unfolding just days before we take on two longtime powerhouses: world no. 6 Australia and no. 25 New Zealand. Great timing for our no. 36-ranked national squad, I guess.

Fellowship Broken…Or Not

The million-dollar question is: What exactly did Tim Cone mean when he said that QMB “just chose not to come over?”

It’s unclear how much our Gilas head coach knew about the circumstances that had been hindering Millora-Brown in recent weeks from fully committing to the February window. If fans were to take Cone at his word, QMB must be entitled and didn’t think that joining Gilas in back-to-back Oceania wars was worth it.

Something doesn’t add up, though. Two things, in fact.

First, there’s the grueling journey that Q had to take in order to secure his Gilas eligibility in the first place. Like Frodo and Sam toiling their way to Mordor, the grandson of a former PGH doctor spent several months securing files, submitting requirements, and tensely waiting for FIBA to respond in the affirmative. Now, we’re supposed to believe that this 25-year-old athlete who has finally played his first two games in a Gilas uniform, eventually decided to hold out because it wasn’t beneficial enough.

And then, there was the statement.

This past Tuesday, Millora-Brown’s camp allegedly aired their side in a statement that made the rounds on social media. While this isn’t the same thing as Cone speaking directly to media personnel with live mics in their hands, the details relayed in this “statement” are compelling, at the very least; in the worst-case scenario (read: if they’re true), it’s potentially damning for SBP.

By virtue of some answered prayers, QMB’s camp has now come to terms with SBP and the former Fighting Maroon is set to suit up again on February 26 and March 1. As Millora-Brown rejoins Gilas practice this week, I can only wonder if his mind will be a.) focused on Xs and Os, or; b.) his heart will be aching from what was alleged to be once-denied perks, slashed salaries, and the risk of playing without protections against injuries.

RELATED: “Be Safe, Always”: QMB’s Gilas Dream Is for His Lolo

The Return of Kaiju…Or Not

No one saw the QMB situation coming. Everyone, however, could sense a Sotto DNP or two in the February window. That doesn’t make it any less painful, though.

When the 7-foot-3 behemoth went down with an ACL tear in a January 2025 B.League game, an entire nation of hoops lovers was crestfallen, particularly because the third and final window of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers was coming up in a month.

In my selfish calendar of world events (and, I suppose, other folks’ timetables as well), February 2026 was to be the dramatic comeback of Sotto on the FIBA stage. After all, we’ve seen players overcome ACL injuries and return to the hardcourt in about a year’s time. Alas, it appears that Kaiju’s reemergence will have to wait for another chapter, as he is reportedly not up to 100% in terms of his recovery. An ankle sprain sustained in a B.League game last month was not a good sign at all.

It’s worth noting that, despite these circumstances, Sotto has reportedly been given the go signal by his mother club (the Koshigaya Alphas) to play for Gilas this coming week. According to Musong Castillo of Inquirer, it is actually Sotto’s management team (East West) that is hesitant to have him suit up against the Oceania teams.

The reason? Sotto, apparently, has “a shot at earning a short-term NBA contract, which could come before or during the week of the window.” Wow.

RELATED: Sochan on Sotto: ‘He Has All the Abilities to Make It to the NBA’

At the end of the day, every Pinoy hoops fan wants to see Sotto complete his unfinished business and finally become the first full-blooded Filipino to play in an NBA game. The ultimate irony is this: Four years after Sotto left the first-ever iteration of the G League Ignite squad to play for our national team, it appears that he is skipping the chance to play for Gilas this month as the NBA dream beckons.

But then, even if the “short-term NBA contract” doesn’t pan out, I still won’t mind if Sotto gets more time to recover. Mahaba pa ang career mo, Kai.

Imagine, sooner or later, a national squad with a frontcourt manned by Kai Sotto and Quentin Millora-Brown. That’s the future of Gilas right there. Take it or leave it.

The Epilogue: The Rise of Motor Mike

What’s the best way to continue the LOTR motif in this article? Let’s try having too many endings!

Just as this piece was set to be published, we received the news that Mike Phillips has been granted eligibility “to play as a local in all FIBA tournaments.”

If I can jump as high as Motor Mike, I would do so. (Then subsequently land too hard and sustain an ill-timed sprain.) This is certainly a cause for celebration, as the two-time UAAP champion and UAAP Finals MVP is a precious addition to the Gilas fellowship.

Imagine all the frontcourt possibilities for our national team in the years to come. You have Phillips trapping ball-handlers off ball screens and getting an awful lot of rebounds that somehow elude the hands of Sotto and Millora-Brown. The combination of those three players on the floor is not without its flaws (as the shooting and floor spacing would not be at its finest), but it’s definitely a sampayan brigade waiting to be unleashed on other national squads.

The only question is: How soon will CTC welcome Phillips into his ever-growing pool? This, honestly, is a no-brainer. Phillips in a Gilas jersey is a matter of when, not if.

My other question is: Do we have our own version of Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli with Sotto, Millora-Brown, and Phillips? That frontcourt trio is a cinematic experience that I’d love to binge.