Clarkson meets Green on the NBA court and makes history

Jordan Clarkson, left, and Jaylen Green made history Thursday.

 

It took a long time -- 75 years -- before two players of Filipino descent met on a National Basketball Association court.

When the Utah Jazz faced the Houston Rockets in the Toyota Center in Houston, history was made when Utah's Jordan Clarkson and Houston's Jalen Green played against each other Thursday evening (Oct. 28).

The night marked the first time two players with Filipino heritage played in the same game. Clarkson’s grandmother is from the Philippines, as does Green’s grandfather.

The outcome of the game -- Utah 122, Houston, 91 -- didn't matter to Filipino American basketball fans on the Rocket's first Filipino Heritage Month. 

The stats don't tell the complete story. Clarkson, the most experience of the two players, wound up with 16 points, 16 rebounds and 3 assists. Nineteen-year old Green, ironicly his fifth game in the NBA, ended the evening with 13 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists.

Since both players were guards, they sometimes found themselves guarding each other. Ironically, Green sported a jersey with "0" on it and Clarkson's number was "00." Despite their similar zero numbers, they scored big with the Filipinos who attended the game. 

In honor of the historic occasion, the Rockets held Filipino Heritage Night at Toyota Center, where T-shirts with Green’s No. 0 were given to each fan. The fans were also treated with an exclusive Q&A with Green. To their delight and surprise, Clarkson came out of the visitors' locker room to join them.

"Just us two being here, it's super inspirational for the youth and every Filipino-American, every Filipino, anybody with Filipino blood," Clarkson said after the game.

Basketball is wildly popular in the Philippines, A basketball court, even with a dirt floor, can be found in the smallest barangay (neighborhood). Every Filipino basketball fan follows Clarkson's feats on the court and his jersey is one of the most popular in the Philippines. He has played with Gilas Pilipinas, one of the pro teams in the Philippines Basketball Association, the NBA's counterpart. 

"When I step on the floor," Clarkson started to say, and then corrected himself to include Green, "when we step on the floor, we know we represent the country, represent our people, and we go out there and do what we do."

"We feel the love, we feel the support," added Clarkson..

Filipino American drafted at No. 2 nabbed by Houston Rockets

NBA

No. 2 draft pick Jaylen Green will play for the Houston Rockets.

Overnight, the number of Filipino American players in the NBA doubled -- to two.

Jalen Green, drafted No. 2 by the Houston Rockets Thursday in the NBA's draft in the first round, he joins Jordan Clarkson as the only Filipino American players in the league. The 6 feet, 6 in. guard will join the Rocket's 21-year old veteran Kevin Porter to form one of the youngest backcourts in the league.

“I love the Philippines. They show love and support. I’m just happy to get to represent them. I’m happy that I have family out there and I’m tied into the Philippines so I’m excited, and I hope they’re excited,too,” said Green, whose mother is from the Philippine province Ilocos Sur.

Green, who turned 19-years old on Feb. 9, was the first player to sign with NBA G League Ignite, a team dedicated to the development and mentorship of top young prospects in preparation for the NBA Draft. In 15 G League games last season, he averaged 17.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.53 steals, and 2.1 3-pointers made. Green tallied 30 points, 7 assists, 5 boards, and 3 steals in the Ignite’s lone playoff game vs. Raptors 905.

As a senior at California’s Prolific Prep in 2019-20, Green averaged 31.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists. He was ranked as the No. 1 high school prospect in the Class of 2020 by ESPN and was a McDonald’s All-American.

Green won gold medals with USA Basketball at the 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup, 2018 FIBA U17 World Cup, and 2017 FIBA Americas U16 Championship.Out of high school, 

Althugh highly recruited by colleges while he was in high school, he opted to forego college and join the G-League developmental program. He was one of the first elite prospects to take advantage of the league’s new “professional pathway” program, which he believes offered superior NBA preparation relative to college basketball.

NBA scouts believe he has "significant potential as a scorer," able to hit baskets at all three levels with a quick first-step and able to create his own shot. His defensive abilities needs work, however.

Filipino American high school basketball player will skip college and go pro

Jaylen Green ddrives past an opponent.

A Filipino American, one of the top high school basketball prospects in the US, will forego college and sign up with a new program in the NBA's G League.

Last month, 5-star recruit Jalen Green, who spent his senior season at Prolific Prep in Napa, was mulling over which college he would attend to hone his skills in preparation for a career in the National Basketball League.

But on Thursday morning on Instagram Live, he announced that he’ll skip college, the traditional route to the NBA, and go straight to the pro's in a reshaped NBA professional development program that could help provide new opportunities for elite high school seniors.

“It’s been a crazy exciting journey for me and my family, a lot of opportunities have came, the ultimate end goal is to get to the NBA so with that being said I decided to partner with NBA G League’s new team for elite players,” he stated.

Instead of playing for a college team for a season or two with no compensation except for a scholarship, the G League initiative will pay top players like Green $500,000-plus and set them up in a one-year development program outside the typical minor-league structure, according to ESPN. He would also be eligible to earn money with product endorsements and still get a college scholarship if he chooses to continue his education.

Green, whose mother mother is from Ilocos Sur in the Philippines, was ranked No. 1 by ESPN and No. 3 by the Rivals Scouting Report.

He was also named to the 2020 McDonald's All-American and a member of the USA Basketball Men's Junior National Team.

Green is also decorated with gold medals from FIBA youth World Cups in the Under-19, Under-17 and Under-16 tournaments.

He was also awarded MVP in the 2018 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup in Argentina.

"We're thrilled to welcome a player and a person of Jalen's caliber to the NBA G League," G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim said in a news release.

"He represents the next generation of NBA players, and we couldn't be more excited to have him develop his professional skills in our league," he added.

“The main reason for this, I wanted to get better, and develop, a more better game, I want to work on my craft, get stronger like that so I can be more ready for the NBA, this is the best route to prepare myself,” said Green.

Another member of the 2020 class is Kai Sotto, a 7-foot, 2-inch center from the Philippines, who has attracted interest by several top-notch basketball colleges including the No. 1 team in the country, the University of Kentucky.

While Sotto. a 4-star recruit according to Rivals, could go straight from high school to the NBA draft, he told PhenomHoopReport that there was "more chance of going to college."

As the No. 1 high school player in the Philippines, Sotto left Ateneo University to hone his game at The Skill Factory in Georgia, which has produced several pro basketball players, including James Harden.

The 17-year old Sotto, whose father played pro-ball in the Philippines, said his dream is be the "first full-blood Filipino" to play in the NBA. He said adjusting to life in the States was "not really easy." But time has helped, adding, "I just work hard, I just listen to the people around me and it's become easier."