In an amazing turn of events, Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Jordan Clarkson has finally gotten the green light to represent the Philippines in the upcoming Asian Games. This comes as a complete surprise, especially to the basketball-crazed nation, with the NBA releasing a contradicting statement on the Cavs guard just 24 hours prior.
After weeks of back-and-forth, the 24-year-old has finally been given the go ahead by the NBA. Although there is no official statement yet, veteran Filipino sports newscaster Dyan Castillejo of ABS-CBN News has confirmed the good news.
Born and raised in Tampa, Florida, Clarkson traces his Filipino roots to his mother, Annette Davis, who herself is half Filipino. The 6-foot-5 guard holds a dual citizenship with the United States and the Philippines.
For their part, the Cleveland Cavaliers did not stand in the way of Clarkson realizing his dream. Despite training camp officially set to commence in a few weeks’ time, the Cavs had no problem allowing the incoming fifth-year guard to play for his country. After all, Clarkson is set to gain invaluable experience in his first ever international tournament.
The icing on the cake for Clarkson is that he gets to be the flag-bearer for his country. He will lead the Philippine delegation in the tournament’s opening ceremonies scheduled on Saturday. Surely, Clarkson will be waving the Philippines’ flag high and proud. That is going to be quite a moment for both the emerging NBA star and the whole Filipino nation.