Basketball player
Jordan Clarkson honours his Filipino roots by taking a stand against Asian hate
When Jordan Clarkson was named National Basketball Association (NBA) Sixth Man of the Year in 2021, his photo appeared on billboards across Manila. He is the first Asian-American and the first Utah Jazz player to receive the distinction awarded to the best-performing player who comes off the bench as a substitute. After securing a four-year, US$52 million contract with the Utah Jazz, Clarkson emerged as the only player to score 40 points in one game in the 2020 to 2021 season.
Clarkson also contributed to the Philippine National Team’s wins at the 2018 Asian Games, which put them in fifth place, the team’s best finish since 1998. At the 2023 FIBA World Cup, he proved to be one of the best players in Gilas Pilipinas with his dominating performance.
In September 2023, the basketball player debuted his limited-edition clothing line with Lululemon—tank tops, tear-away track pants, sports shorts, cargo training pants and full-zip track jackets he designed.
Awards
2015
NBA All-Rookie Team
2021
NBA Sixth Man of the Year
Did You Know?
Clarkson may have been the single reason Filipinos increased the streaming numbers of Jazz games in the 2020-2021 NBA season.