Clarkson pays fan surprise visit

MANILA, Philippines – It was something out of a fairy tale storybook. Jordan Salandanan, a 10-year-old incoming Grade 6 student at Ateneo and a player on the school’s Small Basketeers team, never imagined an NBA player would visit him in his digs. But the dream came true as Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson yesterday called on his namesake in the 37th floor room the boy shares with father Gil and two brothers at the SM Blue Residences on Katipunan.

Clarkson is in town for the weekend with brother Julian and Adrian Stelly of Nike Global Sports Marketing. The group arrived here Friday night from Los Angeles via Tokyo and will leave tomorrow morning. Clarkson attended the unveiling of the Nike kits for Gilas at the Kerry Sports Gym in the Shangri-La Hotel Global City yesterday afternoon. He also joined the national team in drills at the same gym after the media event.

It’s Clarkson’s third visit to Manila and he’s due for another appearance with a collegiate team and some NBA players in August. Nike Philippines country marketing manager Patrick Reyes said Clarkson flew in to inspire not only the Gilas squad preparing for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in July but also kids aspiring to raise their game to the next level.

This afternoon, Clarkson will host 16 kids from the Tenement, a 7-storey building block in Bicutan, Taguig, in a workout at the Kerry Sports Gym. Then, he’ll watch the 4 p.m. La Salle-Ateneo senior men’s game in the Filoil Flying V league at the San Juan Gym. Both the Archers and Eagles are sponsored by Nike.

“Jordan’s mission is to inspire,” said Reyes. “He loves the Philippines and welcomes the opportunity of visiting again. It’s a busy schedule for Jordan but we’ll arrange some free time, too. He’s excited to learn more about Filipino history and culture so he’s taking an Intramuros tour with Carlos Celdran.”

Clarkson’s 20-year-old brother Julian, whose nickname is Bear, is in his first Manila visit. “I’m with Jordan every game he plays,” said Julian who grew up with his older brother in San Antonio, Texas.

Little Jordan was overwhelmed by Clarkson’s visit. His father Gil, the facilities manager of the Moro Lorenzo Gym on the Ateneo campus, kept the visit a secret. “I told Jordan a building inspector would come so he expected a visitor but certainly not an NBA star,” said Gil who lived in Los Angeles for 16 years until relocating back to Manila in 2009 with his three sons. Salandanan’s two brothers Mark, 18, and Jonas, 14, were not in when Clarkson called. Mark, an Ateneo seniors team B player, was away to play a game at Enderun.  The three boys were born in the US where Gil used to work as an assistant administrator at an adult facility for the mentally challenged. Gil’s wife Erly still lives in Los Angeles where she works in a law office.

“The boys grew up as Laker fans because we live only five minutes away from the Staples Center,” said Gil. “Sometimes, when we watch games, we leave early in the fourth quarter to avoid the rush and still get home to catch the ending on TV.”

Clarkson stayed at the Salandanans’ unit for over 30 minutes, even doing a 360 on a powerboard and engaging little Jordan in an NBA 2K16 video game. The Fil-Am star was never in a hurry and enjoyed his moments with Salandanan.  He told Salandanan how important it is to practice and work hard, adding that as a Laker, he practices every day from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. when there are no games.

After the visit, Clarkson motored to the Moro Lorenzo Gym nearby and joined Salandanan’s Small Basketeers team for drills on the court with coach Yuri Escueta. Clarkson did dribbling and shooting drills with the boys one of whom was 6-9, 14-year-old Kai Sotto. On the sidelines was Gilas head coach Tab Baldwin. Since GlobalPort was also in the gym for practice, some of the Batang Pier players like Jay Washington, Stanley Pringle and Joseph Yeo got a glimpse of Clarkson.

Clarkson spent quality on-court time with Salandanan, teaching him dribbling routines and going one-on-one. The boy couldn’t believe his luck. Salandanan said at first, he was nervous when Clarkson walked into his room. He seemed in a daze and couldn’t answer simple questions like how do you feel, who is his favorite NBA player and is he a Laker fan. His reply was a recurring “I don’t know,” his eyes sparkling and his mind probably unable to grasp the reality of the unforgettable experience. But when he got on the court, Salandanan hyped up and showed some nasty handles.

In one instance, Clarkson took Sotto aside and gave him sage advice. Sotto said he was inspired by Clarkson’s presence. “I can’t believe it,” he said. “Clarkson’s an NBA player. He’s really good. I’ve watched him play on TV. He’s smart and quick. He told me I’m tall for my age and I should train playing guard.”

Stelly, who represents Nike athletes in the US West Coast, played for the University of Oregon varsity with former PBA import Champ Oguchi and NBA players Aaron Brooks and Malik Hairston. “I talk with Champ almost every day,” said Stelly. “I heard he played well in the PBA. He’s with the Nigerian national team and they’re training in Houston for the Rio Olympics.”

Clarkson’s visit will be forever cherished by his fans, especially Salandanan. But Clarkson himself won’t ever forget this weekend trip which opened his eyes to the basketball dreams of kids and made him realize how much of an impact he has in inspiring players of all ages.