National Basketball Association (NBA) star Jordan Clarkson arrived in the Philippines to honor his commitment to his mother’s home country—play for Gilas Pilipinas in the fourth window of the 2023 Fiba World Cup Asian qualifiers.
The Utah Jazz guard was mobbed by the Friday night crowd and media as he got out of his Philippine Airlines flight from Los Angeles.
He waited for the moment at the VIP lounge of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 before being fetched by representatives from Samahang Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP).
He will be playing as a naturalized player pending the result of SBP’s appeal to FIBA regarding his status. The 30-year-old NBA Sixth Man awardee will be teaming up with Filipino top-notch center Kai Sotto, who arrived a day earlier from Australia.
The two will lead the Chot Reyes-coached Philippine squad that will face Lebanon on Aug.25 and Saudi Arabia on Aug. 29.