Getting Clarkson to play for Gilas a 'complicated' matter, says Chot
MANILA, Philippines — There has long been a clamor for Los Angeles Lakers’ Jordan Clarkson to don the Philippine tricolors.
But it’s easier said than done, according to Gilas Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes.
“I’m getting a lot of questions regarding Jordan Clarkson,” Reyes said during the Smart-Gilas Pilipinas' send-off on Saturday in Ortigas. “Jordan is there. I just want everyone to understand that it is not as simple as Clarkson wanting to play and us wanting to be here.”
“There is also the matter of Los Angeles Lakers and the National Basketball Association, so hindi ito basta sabihin ni Jordan na gusto niya at sabihin [ng Gilas] na, ‘OK, punta ka dito’ eh makakapunta na siya.”
Gilas first toyed with the idea of tapping Clarkson in 2011. After joining a couple of practices with the national team mid-2015, he was eventually left out from the lineup for the FIBA Asia Championship in China.
“As you can notice, Team USA has just released their lineup last week and there are no NBA players,” Reyes offered. “Not one. So that means the league didn’t allow any of their players to play in the World Cup qualifiers.”
“So kung ang Team USA nga, walang NBA players, paano pa tayo ‘di ba?” he noted. “It’s not that simple.”
“I just want you to know why Jordan is not here. So that’s the rundown regarding the national players,” the multi-time Gilas mentor said.
The national team leaves for Tokyo, Japan on Tuesday. They take on the Japanese on Novemver 24 for their first match in the first window of the FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers.
Gilas is set to return immediately to the capital for their second tussle on November 27 against Chinese-Taipei.
Each region stakes six slots in the global skirmish which will be on Aug. 31, 2019, in China.
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