From left: Dylan Harper of the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs, Jordan Clarkson of the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks, and Jared McCain of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Harper and Clarkson will face each other in the 2026 NBA Finals after helping their teams capture conference titles, while McCain was part of Oklahoma City’s run to the Western Conference Finals. Together, they reflect the growing presence of players with Filipino heritage across the NBA. (Photos from the players’ respective social media accounts.)
Dylan Harper advances with San Antonio, setting up a Filipino American connection with Jordan Clarkson and the New York Knicks
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma City Thunder’s title defense ended at home. The San Antonio Spurs are headed to the NBA Finals. For Filipino American basketball fans, the Western Conference Finals carried a connection on both sides before the series even turned toward New York.
San Antonio defeated Oklahoma City, 111-103, in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals on Saturday night, May 30, completing a comeback from a 3-2 series deficit and returning to the Finals for the first time since 2014.
Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 22 points and was named Western Conference Finals MVP. Julian Champagnie added 20 points, including six three-pointers, as San Antonio placed seven players in double figures and closed out the defending champions on the road.
Dylan Harper was part of that balance. The rookie guard finished with 12 points in Game 7, two nights after scoring 18 in San Antonio’s 118-91 win that forced the deciding game. He did not carry the Spurs past Oklahoma City. He gave them something just as valuable for a rookie in May: composed minutes in a series that had little room for mistakes.
Oklahoma City had the best player on the floor for long stretches. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 35 points and nine assists, keeping the Thunder within reach deep into the fourth quarter. But the Spurs had more answers. De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Harper, Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell all reached double figures, preventing Oklahoma City from focusing its defense on Wembanyama alone.
For the Thunder, the loss was abrupt. They entered the playoffs as defending champions and one of the league’s most complete teams. They left the Western Conference Finals one win short of another Finals appearance, undone by San Antonio’s depth, shot-making and composure in the final two games.
The Filipino American thread was present on the Oklahoma City side as well. Jared McCain, acquired by the Thunder from Philadelphia in February, has publicly acknowledged Filipino ancestry. His presence made the conference finals notable before San Antonio advanced: Harper and McCain, two young guards with Filipino roots, were on opposite sides of a series between the league’s defending champion and one of its fastest-rising teams.
Harper now moves on. McCain’s season ends with Oklahoma City.
San Antonio will face the New York Knicks, the Eastern Conference champions, in the NBA Finals, beginning Wednesday, June 3, in San Antonio. On the other side will be Jordan Clarkson, the veteran guard whose NBA career and Gilas Pilipinas ties have made him one of the most visible Filipino-heritage players in the sport.
Oklahoma lost its Thunder. San Antonio won the West. And this NBA Finals arrives with meaningful Filipino basketball connections on both sides, as Jordan Clarkson and Dylan Harper give Filipino fans another reason to follow the championship series.
