MVP makes it happen for Clarkson

MANILA, Philippines — “Basta para sa bansa. God bless Gilas. God bless the Philippines.” With those words, SBP chairman emeritus Manny V. Pangilinan announced yesterday that the NBA has agreed to allow Cleveland Cavaliers’ Fil-Am guard Jordan Clarkson to play for the Philippines in the Asian Games in Indonesia.

Pangilinan was in the forefront of the effort to enlist Clarkson for Gilas. Last Sunday, he was in Bangkok and had a 5 a.m. overseas phone call with NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum requesting the pro league to clear the way for Clarkson’s debut with the Philippine national team. Initially, the NBA denied the request, citing an agreement with FIBA that prohibits NBA players from participating in non-FIBA sanctioned competitions such as the Asian Games.

With the denial, the SBP struck out Clarkson from the Gilas 12-man lineup submitted for certification at the Asian Games managers meeting in Jakarta last Monday. But Pangilinan wouldn’t give up and appealed to Tatum for a reconsideration, pointing out that China had two NBA players in its Asian Games roster. Pangilinan also explained the nature of the Asian Games as the Olympics of Asia with a combined audience equal to over a third of the world’s population. China’s two NBA players are Zhou Qi of the Houston Rockets and Ding Yanhuyang of the Dallas Mavericks. Then came a flood of social media posts from thousands of Filipino fans, jamming the NBA portals with a deluge of appeals.

Last Tuesday morning, Pangilinan was back on the phone with Tatum. This time, there was a softening of the NBA’s position. SBP president Al Panlilio said the NBA expressed concern that players were exposed to the incidence of injury and overextended minutes during the NBA offseason and gave the NBA players, including Clarkson, the option of participating in either this year’s Asian Games or the fourth window of the 2019 FIBA Asia/Pacific World Cup Qualifiers. China chose the option of the Asian Games since as host nation, it has an automatic ticket to the World Cup next year. The Philippines also chose the Asian Games. Tatum said to give him an extra day to obtain clearance from the Cleveland Cavaliers organization before issuing a formal announcement. Meanwhile, Pangilinan advised the POC to work for Clarkson’s reinstatement pending final approval from the NBA.

POC secretary-general Patrick Gregorio, in behalf of POC president Ricky Vargas and Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, feverishly burned the communication lines to request for Clarkson’s reinstatement from Olympic Council of Asia director of the Asian Games Haider Farman who was in Jakarta. Late Tuesday afternoon, Haider gave the go-signal.

Tatum phoned Pangilinan yesterday morning to announce the NBA’s final clearance on a one-time basis to cover both the Philippines and China. It was only about a 10-minute call but the impact on the Philippine basketball community was immeasurable. The NBA agreed to the “special” one-time exception “due to a lack of clear communication of the (FIBA) agreement between the NBA and the Chinese and Philippine basketball federations and after further discussion with both federations.”

With the NBA’s approval, Clarkson and trainer Demitrius Deshae O’Neal booked a flight from Los Angeles to Jakarta via Singapore yesterday and are scheduled to touch down in Indonesia at 10 this morning. Clarkson will miss the Philippines’ first game against Kazakhstan, also at 10 this morning. He will suit up when Gilas plays China on Aug. 21. Clarkson has been designated the Philippine flag-bearer in the opening ceremony on Saturday.

“Our family is truly humbled as Jordan’s dream of playing for his Filipino heritage and the Philippines becomes a reality,” said Clarkson’s father Mike in a statement to The STAR. “It’s a distinguished honor to be selected as the flag-bearer for the Philippine nation. His participation certainly elevates his status within the NBA and for the young Cleveland Cavaliers but more importantly, it brings a level of intimacy to his Filipino roots. This has been a long, arduous journey and determined efforts by many to make this come to fruition. We’re so grateful to the NBA for approving his request to participate because it means so much to millions of his fans, especially in the Philippines.”