FILE – Philippines’ Jordan Clarkson shoots as South Korea’s Lee Seoung-hyun tries to block during the men’s basketball competition at the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, Aug. 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
MANILA, Philippines—The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas is still pushing for the Fiba eligibility of NBA star Jordan Clarkson to play as a local for Gilas Pilipinas.
Clarkson suited up for Gilas in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, where he led the Philippines to a fifth-place finish.
The Utah Jazz guard hasn’t worn the Philippine colors since but the SBP is hoping he and the others like Fil-German big man Christian Standhardinger and Fil-American guard Stanley Pringle will be allowed to represent the country as locals in time for the 2023 World Cup.
“We continue to press it,” said SBP president Al Panlilio on Noli Eala’s Power and Play show on Saturday.
“Because we have gotten some information that some [players] may mga passports na nakuha (who have gotten their passports) beyond 16 for some reason and we wanna understand what has happened there so we’re looking at other situations that can help us and aid us.”
Under Fiba’s eligibility rules, a player is required to have obtained a passport of the country they seek to represent before turning 16 years old.
“But at the end of the day, these guys (Clarkson, Standhardinger and Pringle) are Filipinos so we just have to continue to push our justification to Fiba.”
The Fil-American Clarkson’s mother Annette Davis traces her roots to Pampanga.
Clarkson had said he intends to play for the Philippines in the World Cup.
The 29-year-old, who is entering his eighth year in the NBA, is coming off his best season yet after being named Sixth Man of the Year.