Pacquiao tips hat to Clarkson

MANILA, Philippines — From one Filipino champion to another. 

Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao congratulated newly crowned NBA champion Jordan Clarkson of the New York Knicks, becoming the first player with Filipino blood to get his hands on the coveted Larry O’Brien trophy. 

Clarkson, who has played for Gilas Pilipinas in major international competitions, took a video message from Pacquiao days after the Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in the best-of-seven finals, 4-1. 

“Happy for you, bro,” Pacquiao said in the video posted by Steve Jumalon, Pacquiao’s brother-in-law. 

Clarkson, in the video, said that he was just celebrating the win. 

Clarkson carried and hoisted the Philippine flag during the Knicks’ championship parade, draping it on his body and waving it as he celebrated. 

In another video, he also chanted “Knicks in Five!” to the crowd.

This is Clarkson’s first season with New York after a stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Utah Jazz.

Tens of thousands of New York Knicks fans flooded Manhattan on Thursday for a heavily guarded victory parade, turning the city into a sea of blue and orange to mark their basketball team’s NBA Finals victory.

Chants of “Let’s go Knicks” rippled through the dense crowd, made up of some who paid hundreds of dollars for line sitters to wait overnight and save them a space to watch the procession.

“The Knicks unite the city unlike any other team. We were starved for so long,» said Anthony Martorelli, a 29-year-old retail worker. 

New York erupted in jubilant scenes Saturday when the Knicks broke a 53-year drought to defeat the San Antonio Spurs away in Texas.

Thursday’s parade, organized by Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s team, drew a security detail of 10,000 New York police officers -- the force’s largest ever deployment for a planned event–