FILIPINO-American Los Angeles Laker guard Jordan Clarkson is “very disappointed” that he will not be playing for the Philippines in the upcoming FIBA Asia Championship.
The final roster for Gilas Pilipinas, announced Tuesday, Sept. 8, by Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), did not include Clarkson due to a conflict in schedule due to his commitment to the Lakers. SBP also said in a statement that Gilas was “not able to beat the deadline to secure the necessary clearances on time.”
“I’m very disappointed I won’t be able to play with the Gilas National Team during the FIBA Asia Championships from September 23 to October 3,” Clarkson said in a statement.
The Fil-Am NBA player, who has expressed interest in representing the Philippines, was recently cleared to play for the country’s national team. However, with the Lakers’ training camp kicking off on Sept. 28, Clarkson’s participation in the FIBA championship would be limited to the elimination phase of the tournament, according to an SBP statement.
“This scheduling issue is distinct only to the FIBA Asia zone,” the statement read. “And it does not occur in the other FIBA zones. By this token, we will ask FIBA Asia to consider holding the tournament in the same manner as FIBA Americas, Europe, Oceania and Africa do, that is avoiding conflict with the NBA calendar.”
Interaksyon.com reported that Lakers executives Mitch Kupchak and Jeanie Buss discussed Clarkson’s participation in the championship with SBP executives Patrick Gregorio and Ricky Vargas.
“It’s still a work in progress but with better clarity…There were no objections for Jordan to play for the national team long term, but for FIBA Asia, we continue to discuss availability,” Vargas wrote in a text message to the publication.
In his statement, Clarkson said he talked with his dad about his experiences with the Gilas team and supporting them in The Jonas Cup. He also told his dad about how passionate he was about representing an entire country.
“My Dad told me to follow my heart,” he said.
Although Clarkson will not be participating in the FIBA tournament, Inquirer reported that he has expressed a desire to play for the Philippine team in three Olympic Games beginning next year in Rio de Janeiro.
The Fil-Am basketball player also addressed his Filipino Fans in his statement, many of whom he said are Lakers supporters and “some of the most passionate in the world.”
“I want to sincerely thank all of the fans who sent me letters of encouragement during these last three months about Gilas,” he said.
“We can all agree, the 12 men selected to represent the Philippines in this 2015 FIBA Asia Championship have earned the right and any continued efforts on my part would not be fair to the team. I will cheer them onto Gold,” he added.
The Gilas lineup includes World Cup veterans Andray Blatche, Jayson Castro, Ranidel de Ocampo, Marc Pingris and Gabe Norwood; returning nationals Matt Ganuelas-Rosser, Dondon Hontiveros, Asi Taulava and Sonny Thoss; and newcomers Calvin Abueva, JC Intal and Terrence Romeo, Philstar reported.
