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This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
Claim: National Basketball Association (NBA) stars Lebron James, Kevin Durant, Jordan Clarkson, Shaquille O’Neil, and Patrick Beverley made social media posts praising Filipino basketball star Kai Sotto after his strong performance against New Zealand at the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.
Why we fact-checked this: The Facebook post was made on November 22, a day after Gilas Pilipinas defeated New Zealand for the first time in a FIBA setting.
“KAI SOTTO GETTING NOTICED!! NBA players like Lebron James, Kevin Durant react to 7’3 Filipino Center Kai Sotto’s performance against New Zealand at the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers,” the Facebook post reads. It includes screenshots of social media posts supposedly made by the NBA players.
As of writing, the Facebook post has garnered 37,000 reactions, 2,300 comments, and 2,800 shares.
Rating: FALSE
The facts: The social media posts attributed to the NBA stars are fake. There are no posts on the official and verified X accounts (formerly Twitter) of James, Durant, Clarkson, O’Neil, and Beverley regarding Sotto’s performance or Gilas Pilipinas’ win against New Zealand at the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.
Sotto’s performance: The misleading Facebook post was uploaded after Gilas Pilipinas scored a 93-89 victory in the second window of the Asia Cup Qualifiers on November 21. This was the first time the Philippines beat New Zealand in a FIBA setting.
Sotto was instrumental in that game, finishing with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists. (READ: Not this time: Kai Sotto flirts with triple-double as Gilas Pilipinas finally beats New Zealand)
On Monday, November 25, Gilas Pilipinas officially advanced to the FIBA Asia Cup for the eighth straight edition.
Debunked: Rappler has already published fact-checks about the Filipino basketball star:
- FACT CHECK: Supposed Kevin Durant tweet commending Kai Sotto is fake
- FACT CHECK: Kai Sotto did not join Sacramento Kings
- FACT CHECK: Kai Sotto has not signed $3-billion NBA contract
- FACT CHECK: No deal between Kai Sotto, Golden State Warriors
– Owenh Jake Toledo/Rappler.com
Owenh Jake Toledo is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.
Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.
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