Jordan Clarkson Wants Back In With Gilas Pilipinas
Jordan Clarkson has an NBA championship now. He wants a World Cup next.
A ring, then a new goal
The Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs in five games in June 2026, ending a 53-year title drought that stretched back to 1973. Clarkson played a rotation role off the bench through the playoffs.
Months later, in an interview with GQ Philippines, Clarkson said his next goal is a return to the national team. “Another World Cup is coming and I want to be there,” he said.
Why he keeps putting the jersey back on
Clarkson has represented the Philippines before. He first played for Gilas Pilipinas at the 2018 Asian Games under then head coach Yeng Guiao. He returned for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, which the Philippines hosted, alongside the young core of Kai Sotto, AJ Edu, and Dwight Ramos. Across five games that tournament, he averaged 26 points, 5.2 assists, and 5.6 rebounds. He scored 34 points in a 96-75 win over China.
He has said wearing the jersey honors his late grandmother. He has also tied it to a bigger point about representation. “There haven’t been so many Filipino-Americans in the NBA league, and Filipinos, period,” he said. “So knowing that I get to represent that and kind of change the narrative in any way that I can, that’s what I’m trying to do.”
The qualifiers come first
Wanting to play and getting cleared to are separate things. Gilas Pilipinas resumes its 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifying campaign in November 2026, and the team’s naturalized player pool is still unsettled. Justin Brownlee missed the most recent qualifying window. Bennie Boatwright, the other naturalization candidate, cleared the legislative process in August but still has to finalize his citizenship before he can join the team.
The Philippines sit fifth in Group E at 4-4, behind Australia (8-0), New Zealand (6-2), and Iran and Jordan, both at 5-3. Only the top three teams in the group advance automatically. The best fourth-place team across the two second-round groups also qualifies, joining Qatar, which already holds a spot as tournament host.
The next move belongs to Gilas Pilipinas when qualifying resumes in November.
Room for more than one jersey
Clarkson isn’t only thinking about his own return. He’s hoping to see other Filipino-American NBA players wear the Gilas jersey too. “Hopefully, we can see those dudes in a Gilas jersey at some point,” he said, naming Phoenix Suns guard Jalen Green and San Antonio Spurs rookie Dylan Harper, the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft.
