Third-year Los Angeles Laker Jordan Clarkson is in the midst of ending another losing season with the only club team he has ever played for. Averaging 14.7 points on 44.3 percent shooting, 2.6 assists, and 1.1 steals this season, he has made numerous adjustments as the Lakers’ spark plug off the bench in his team’s search for a perfect blend come the 2017-18 season.
But even with the team’s struggles, Clarkson continues to dream. And the 24-year-old Filipino-American dream is that he will some day play for Gilas Pilipinas.
“We’re going to make playing for the Filipino National Team happen,” Clarkson told CBS LA’s Rahul Lal.
The 6-foot-5 combo guard has always kept tabs on Gilas Pilipinas, even training with the team back in 2015. And the response and the love he gets from his compatriots is what drives him in his NBA journey.
“I feel all the support and love [Filipino fans] had throughout my years in the NBA, so I’m still trying to do well for them and, hopefully, be able to put on for my country,” Clarkson, whose mom is a Filipina, furthered.
And it won’t be a surprise if Clarkson returns back home during the off-season to help train Gilas Pilipinas during the 2017 SEA Games and, hopefully, the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup.
