San Antonio (AFP) – No player from the Philippines has won an NBA title, but two with Filipino heritage — New York’s Jordan Clarkson and San Antonio’s Dylan Harper — meet in this month’s NBA Finals. And one of them will be part of a championship squad.
Clarkson, whose mother was a Filipina-American, signed with the Knicks last July for his 12th NBA campaign after stops with the Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Utah Jazz. He has also played on the Filipino national basketball squad. “Definitely inspiring to the Filipino-Americans and Filipinos all around the country. It’s definitely going to be fun to watch,” Clarkson said of his matchup with Harper. “One of us two taking a championship back home to the Philippines and representing that well.”
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Clarkson, who turns 34 on Sunday, has been keeping an eye on 20-year-old rookie Harper, the second overall selection in last year’s NBA Draft. “He has been really good throughout the whole year. I’ve been watching him, keeping up with him, as well, him being so young and having so much poise throughout this whole playoffs,” Clarkson said. “It’s a great sight to see a young star coming in this league and doing what he’s doing.”
Harper, whose father was five-time NBA champion Ron Harper and whose mother Maria was from the Philippines, appreciated the special rivalry with Clarkson. “Me and him get to do something really special, representing our country, where we’re from, represent everything on the biggest stage in basketball,” Harper said. “I feel like over there in the Philippines, basketball is probably the biggest thing. I think we’re very excited for that and we’re just very blessed and grateful to be in this position.”
Harper’s mother, Maria, is a high school boys assistant coach in New Jersey who coached Dylan and his brother Ron Jr., who now plays for the Boston Celtics. “My mom, she’s not my coach no more, so I don’t get it as much anymore,” Harper said of motherly basketball advice. “But regular mom stuff with a little mix of basketball here and there. At the end of the day it’s more of, as long as you’re happy, I’m good.”
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