Lakers choice of Fil-Am a ‘welcome bonus’

SACRAMENTO, California—The word from the Los Angeles Lakers is that they are pleased as punch with their two selections from the 2014 NBA Draft—first-round pick Julius Randle and second-round choice Jordan Clarkson.

The 19-year-old, 6-foot-9 Randle, a former University of Kentucky star, was nabbed by the Lakers for the seventh overall pick, their highest in 32 years.

Clarkson, 22, whose mom Annette Davis is part-Filipino, was selected by the Washington Wizards as the 46th choice and then shipped to the Lakers for P78.75 million in cash.

How he got to LA is of no concern to the 6-foot-5 Clarkson, a combo guard out of Missouri. All he cares about is that he is now part of a storied franchise with 16 NBA titles, a lineup that includes his childhood hero Kobe Bryant and is located in one of the best cities in America.

Clarkson, who was introduced to the LA sports press by Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak Monday, said the prospects in front of him are plentiful.

“I’m just happy for the opportunity to come here and the opportunity to play,” Clarkson said in a press release from the Lakers. “It’s a relaxing feeling and I’m going to work hard. I got a chip on my shoulder from the Draft. I’m just going to come in and work.”

Kupchak said Clarkson will be an impact player and will make a difference from day one.

Such a sentiment was echoed by Clarkson’s fellow rookie Randle following the team’s first practice for the NBA Summer League that starts in Las Vegas this Friday (Saturday in Manila).

Clarkson shot the ball well during a little bit of a team scrimmage, said Randle in the Lakers press release. “Of course he is athletic and fast.”

Earlier, I got hold of longtime Lakers spokesman John Black and asked about the impact of a Fil-Am player for a franchise whose audience includes the biggest Fil-Am community and Pinoy basketball fan base in all of America.

“The decision to draft Jordan was made solely on his basketball abilities,” said Black by e-mail. “But the fact that he could expose us to a great fan base and community of support is a welcome bonus.

“We always want the Lakers to be as inclusive as possible to as wide a base as possible,” according to Black. “And if Jordan’s addition to the team brings us to new fans and support groups, we think that’s fantastic.”

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Former sportswriter Val Abelgas, now based in LA, has heard about the plight of a former colleague, Bert Eljera, who is raising funds for a kidney transplant at the University Medical Center in Las Vegas.

Val recently wrote about Bert’s fund-raising efforts in his column syndicated to 11 Fil-Am newspapers in the United States and Canada.

As I write this, the Eljera Kidney Transplant Fund has collected $4,020, about 27 percent of the goal of $15,000.

If you would like to send help by PayPal, Bert’s e-mail address is [email protected].