Aaron FalkWith the Utah Jazz, Jordan Clarkson is one of the NBA’s best Sixth Men.
In the Philippines, there’s no basketball star bigger.
Clarkson, one of the only Filipino-Americans in the NBA, arrived in Manila this week to play for the Philippines in two FIBA World Cup qualifiers. The Jazz guard was promptly greeted at the airport by a throng of photographers and reporters.
“Let’s get it,” he said.
Later, he reportedly partied at a Manila nightclub.
This will only be Clarkson’s second stint with the national team, but he has already cemented himself as a basketball icon among Filipinos around the world.
In Utah, Clarkson stepped up to take care of a family whose Filipino food truck was spray painted with racist graffiti. In the Philippines, his diehard fans tune in at all hours to follow his NBA career. Last year, Clarkson was featured on a Filipino stamp.
Clarkson and the Philippines are scheduled to play Lebanon on Aug. 25 and Saudi Arabia on Aug. 29.
Aaron Falk manages The Tribune’s award-winning sports staff. Off the clock, you can find him missing fairways, getting lost on mountain trails, or spilling gourmet cuisine on a previously clean shirt.