Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson (Photo : Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports/ REUTERS)
Jordan Clarkson may suit up for the Philippines National Basketball team. The Los Angeles Lakers guard is in currently in the Asian country and reports say he may represent the Philippines in the upcoming FIBA Asia tournament.
Clarkson is half American and half Filipino with his mother being born and raised in the Philippines. Although he was born in Tampa, Florida, it has been confirmed that the NBA All Rookie First Team member has a Philippine passport and is a Filipino citizen.
Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas Director Sonny Barrios confirmed to Rappler that the young Laker star is eligible to play for the Philippines as a "natural born" player since he acquired his Filipino passport before he was 16 years old.
"We just didn't tell it to the public," Barrios told the site, revealing that they submitted the documents to FIBA before they made the news public.
"We have to be patient, and we go by FIBA's process," he added.
The update was definitely a welcome news for all Filipino basketball fans who have been hoping to make a dent in the upcoming FIBA Asia tournament.
Last year, the team bagged second place in the competition, giving them a ticket for the 2014 FIBA World Cup wherein they won a game against Senegal and wowed every basketball fan by giving some of the top teams in the world a hard time.
According to NBC Sports, should the Philippines win in this year's FIBA Asia, they will secure a spot in the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics.
Jordan Clarkson has yet to comment on the news, but he is expected to join the Gilas Pilipinas team practice this week.
