KAI IN, KOBE OUT
Trump’s absence
The absence of Biden’s predecessor from the inaugural ceremony underscored the national rift to be healed.
But a bipartisan trio of former presidents—Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama—were there to witness the transfer of power. Trump, awaiting his second impeachment trial, was at his Florida resort by the time the swearing-in took place.
Biden, in his third run for the presidency, staked his candidacy less on any distinctive political ideology than on galvanizing a broad coalition of voters around the notion that Trump posed an existential threat to American democracy. Four years after Trump’s “American Carnage” speech painted a dark portrait of national decay, Biden warned that the fabric of the nation’s democracy was tearing but could be repaired.
Swearing the oath with his hand on a five-inch-thick Bible that has been in his family for 128 years, Biden came to office with a well of empathy and resolve born by personal tragedy as well as a depth of experience forged from more than four decades in Washington. At age 78, he is the oldest president inaugurated.
Both he, Harris and their spouses walked the last short part of the route to the White House after an abridged parade.
Biden then strode into the Oval Office, a room he knew well as vice president, for the first time as commander in chief. /
NBA G-League Ignite’s Filipino big man Kai Sotto has committed to play for the Gilas Pilipinas in the third and final window of the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers and is expected to arrive this week to join the national team’s preparations inside the bubble setup at the Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba, Laguna.
The 7-foot-3 center’s slated arrival will be a big boost for a Gilas squad that is expecting some tough resistance from longtime rivals South Korea, which will be led by former PBA import Ricardo Ratcliffe. The national team will be playing two games against Korea and one against Indonesia at the Angeles University Foundation Sports Arena in Pampanga.
Sotto’s arrival will also cushion the blow of the absence of University of the Philippines star Kobe Paras, who reportedly is sitting out the final window due to “personal reasons.”
The 6-foot-6 wingman was a huge part of the team’s success against Thailand during the second window last year. Playing out of position at the power forward spot, Paras managed just 3.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.0 steals in the two-game series versus Thailand. His sacrifice, though, did not go unnoticed as Gilas program director Tab Baldwin heaped praise upon the second-generation cager.
“We played him out of position because we really needed his size and strength around the basket, and he wasn’t comfortable at all, so that was a burden he carried for us and never complained once,” said Baldwin during his appearance in Coaches Unfiltered.