Jordan Clarkson hoping for another Gilas stint before 'hanging it up'
NEW YORK, United States — Jordan Clarkson has already reached the NBA mountaintop, but the Filipino-American guard still has unfinished business with Gilas Pilipinas.
Fresh off winning his first NBA championship with the New York Knicks, Clarkson expressed his desire to represent the Philippines again, potentially making another run at the Olympics before calling time on his basketball career.
"It was a busy summer for us this year," Clarkson told Philstar.com following the Knicks' 122-120 preseason victory over the Toronto Raptors Thursday night (Friday Manila time) at the Madison Square Garden.
"But, hopefully I get to suit up and give us one more time before, you know, I hang it up.”
Clarkson, who turned 34 in June, hasn't played for Gilas since the 2023 FIBA World Cup, when the Philippines hosted the tournament alongside Japan and Indonesia.
The former NBA Sixth Man of the Year averaged 26 points, 5.2 assists and 4.6 rebounds across five games, including a 34-point explosion in the Philippines' 96-75 victory over China to close its campaign.
Three years later, Clarkson hasn't forgotten what representing the country means to him.
"People say I'm getting old," he said with a smile. "But yeah, hopefully I get a chance to suit up again and try to get to the Olympics or whatever it is, compete to get there.”
The next Summer Olympics will be held in Los Angeles in 2028, when Clarkson will be 36.
Asked whether the Los Angeles Games could be his final opportunity to play for Gilas, Clarkson wasn't ready to put an expiration date on his career.
"Who knows, bro? I can play till I'm 45, 50," he said jokingly. "I still feel young. So, you know, we'll see.”
While Clarkson stopped short of committing to a particular tournament, his comments leave the door open for another stint with the national team.
Any potential return would also require coordination with the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, particularly because Clarkson occupies the naturalized-player slot under FIBA eligibility rules.
For now, his immediate priority remains helping the Knicks defend the championship they won last June.
Clarkson became the first Filipino-American player to win an NBA championship when New York defeated the San Antonio Spurs in the Finals, ending the franchise's 53-year title drought.
Before Clarkson made history as a player, Erik Spoelstra had already blazed a trail for Filipino-Americans on the coaching sidelines.
Spoelstra became the first Filipino-American head coach to win an NBA championship, guiding the Miami Heat to back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013 during the celebrated Big Three era of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
The Knicks' championship came at the expense of the San Antonio Spurs, whose roster featured another Filipino-American in rookie guard Dylan Harper, giving Philippine basketball rare representation on both sides of the NBA Finals.
"It's big time," Clarkson said. "I think me being one of the first Filipino-Americans to do that was just inspiring to others.”
He also praised Harper, who impressed during San Antonio's playoff run, and expressed hope that more players of Filipino heritage would eventually reach the same milestone.
But Clarkson isn't satisfied with one championship.
"I'm trying to go get another one," he said.
The Knicks will receive their championship rings Tuesday (Wednesday Manila time) before opening their title defense against James and the Philadelphia 76ers at the Madison Square Garden.
As Clarkson prepares for another NBA season, the possibility of wearing the Philippine colors again remains firmly on his mind.
Whether that opportunity comes during the next Olympic qualifying cycle or another international competition, he hopes his Gilas journey isn't over just yet.
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Alder Almo is a former senior sportswriter for Philstar.com and NBA.com Philippines. He is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey, and writes for US-based publication Heavy.com.
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