After finally getting the clearance to represent his home country of the Philippines in the Asian Games, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Jordan Clarkson was at long last able to take part in his nation’s opening contest on Wednesday night.
Unfortunately, the 26-year-old had to settle for a role on the bench, as he watched his team from the sidelines while in street clothes.
Up until the last minute, neither Clarkson nor the Philippine national team were sure if the Filipino-American was going to be able to suit up for the tournament opener against Kazakhstan. Clarkson was not given the go ahead until the very last minute, which caused more than a bit of confusion for all parties involved.
“We went back and forth so many times, saying I was going to play, then I wasn’t going to play,” Clarkson told the media in a press conference after the game, per Yahoo! Sports.
Clarkson took the first flight to Jakarta, Indonesia, the venue for this year’s Asian Games, as soon as the NBA gave him the green light to play for his country. From the airport, he reportedly went straight to the venue to support his teammates.
The Philippines finished on top with a final score of 96-59 after a lopsided ballgame.
The team are scheduled to face China for the next match scheduled on Tuesday afternoon, local time. Clarkson will have four days to train with his squad before they face a bigger test against the Chinese. The Tampa, Florida native is quite eager to finally make his much-awaited debut for his country.
“I’m very excited to know that I’m finally getting to do this, being able to play … for the country. It’s definitely something that I’ve been looking forward to,” he added.
