Filipino basketball fans have been ecstatic since Sunday when the Philippine team snagged a qualifying spot in the FIBA Basketball World Cup that’s going to happen in China in August. Just this early, fans are looking forward to seeing Cleveland Cavaliers’ player Jordan Clarkson play for the Philippine team, nicknamed Gilas.
Even Clarkson appears to be excited. Today, the Filipino-American congratulated the other members of the team for winning their qualifying match against Kazakhstan over the weekend.
Using a photo of him wearing the Philippine team’s jersey, he wrote on his Instagram account: “[C]ongrats to my bros and the country. Such a (sic) honor for the country, qualifying for the [W]orld [C]up, so hyped!!! [H]ope to see you guys in [C]hina!!!”
The NBA player also wrote the hashtags #PH and #Puso (heart), the Gilas’ battle cry.
The Samahan ng Basketball ng Pilipinas (SBP or “Basketball Federation of the Philippines”), which manages Gilas, announced yesterday that it’s doing everything it can to bring Clarkson to the World Cup.
SBP President Al Panlilio told ABS-CBN that the FIBA (the International Basketball Federation) might consider Clarkson a naturalized Filipino because he received his Philippine passport when he was already 16 years old. The FIBA restricts the number of naturalized players to only one per team, which means SBP might have to choose between Clarkson and former NBA player Andray Blatche, a naturalized Filipino who regularly plays for Gilas.
But Panlilio said the SBP is doing everything it can to bring both men to the World Cup in China.
If given the chance, the World Cup will be the second time Clarkson will play for Gilas. The first time he suited up for them was for the Asian Games in August.
The NBA player holds both American and Philippine citizenship. His grandmother, Marcelina Tullao, is from Pampanga.
While things remain hazy, basketball fans are already excited to see Clarkson play for the country. One fan said he wants to see Clarkson with the other Gilas “bros” in China.
Another netizen tagged FIBA’s account to ask them to let Clarkson play as a Filipino athlete.
Another fan wrote: “I hope rules will change. I hope both Blatche and Clarkson could play.”
Qualifying for the World Cup is a huge achievement for Gilas because in July last year, its members got involved in a brawl with the Australian basketball team. Ten Gilas players were suspended from several World Cup qualifying matches and their coach, Chot Reyes, ended up resigning in September.
Reyes was replaced by Yeng Guiao and the team finished in fourth place among Asian teams.
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