After a lengthy battle with the NBA, Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Jordan Clarkson was finally granted permission to play for the Filipino National Team at the 2018 Asia Games in Indonesia. Gilas Pilipinas wonāt be taking home a medal, as they were defeated in earlier rounds of the tournament. However, the team did manage to defeat Syria on Friday, 109-55, to finish in fifth place.
Clarkson, now 26 years of age, played exceptionally for Gilas. In his final game with the team, he racked up 29 points, six assists, four rebounds, one block, and one steal in 25 minutes of action. Over the course of the tournament, the former 46th overall pick turned in averages of 26.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists.
Just before halftime in Fridayās game against Syria, Clarkson threw down a nice two-handed alley-oop dunk from Stanley Pringle.
After Fridayās game, Clarkson took the in-arena microphone to thank the Filipino fans for their support throughout the tournament.
āItās been a great experience, just being able to come out here to support my country and the flag,ā Clarkson said. āThanks everybody for supporting us all the way through.ā
Though Gilas failed to medal in the 2018 Asian Games, it seems Clarkson is content with the experience he had as a member of the team.
