PHOTO CREDIT :@jordanclarksons instagram
NEW YORK — Jordan Clarkson hasn’t played a minute in a Knicks uniform yet, but his arrival in New York already signals a calculated shift in the team’s roster strategy.
The 33-year-old guard, who signed a one-year, $3.6 million deal after a buyout from the Utah Jazz, brings scoring experience and veteran poise to a New York team under reconstruction. A former NBA Sixth Man of the Year and one of the league’s most productive bench players of the past decade, Clarkson offers precisely what the Knicks lacked last season: offense off the bench and someone who can create his own shot.
Clarkson averaged 16.2 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game over 37 appearances for Utah in the 2024–25 season before parting ways with the team. He became one of the NBA’s most reliable second-unit scorers during his five-year tenure with the Jazz, highlighted by his Sixth Man award in 2021.
New Knicks head coach Mike Brown has made clear his intentions to reshape the team’s offense. With a preference for pace, spacing, and versatility, Brown is assembling a roster designed to be more dynamic—and Clarkson’s ability to score in isolation and adapt to different lineups makes him a natural fit in that system.
Born in Tampa, Florida, and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Clarkson is also one of only a few players of Filipino descent in NBA history. His mother, Annette Tullao Davis, is Filipino-American, and his maternal grandmother was born in Pampanga, a province in Central Luzon. Clarkson has credited his family and heritage for grounding his perspective on and off the court.
In 2018, he debuted for Gilas Pilipinas, the Philippine national basketball team, during the Asian Games. He has since represented the country in several international competitions under FIBA’s naturalized player designation, including the 2023 World Cup hosted in Manila.
“It means a lot to be able to represent where my family comes from,” Clarkson said in 2023. “I feel the love every time I’m there.”
That connection continues to resonate in New York, home to one of the largest Filipino-American populations in the United States. His presence is expected to draw crowds not just from basketball fans, but from immigrant communities that see in him both visibility and pride.
Though Clarkson is also known for his distinctive fashion—appearing at events in New York and Paris—his focus now turns to basketball. The Knicks, who finished last in the league in bench scoring at 21.7 points per game last season, are counting on him to bring immediate offensive production to their second unit.
“It means a lot to be able to represent where my family comes from,” Clarkson said in 2023, reflecting on his connection to the Philippines during his national team duties. That same grounded approach and sense of purpose now follow him into New York, where expectations are high, but so is the opportunity to make an impact.
Jordan Clarkson | At a Glance
- Age: 33 (born June 7, 1992)
- Height: 6’3″
- NBA Debut: 2014 (Los Angeles Lakers)
- Previous Teams: Lakers, Cavaliers, Jazz
- 2024–25 Stats: 16.2 PPG, 3.7 APG, 3.2 RPG (Utah)
- Career Highlights: 2021 NBA Sixth Man of the Year
- National Team: Philippines (Gilas Pilipinas, since 2018)
- Contract: One-year, $3.6 million (signed July 2025)
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Heritage: Filipino-American; maternal roots in Pampanga, Philippines
