Filipinos have something special to watch out for as two players with Filipino roots, Jordan Clarkson of the New York Knicks and Dylan Harper of the San Antonio Spurs, play in the 2026 National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals.
Harper's mother, Maria Pizarro, hails from the province of Bataan. He is the son of ex-NBA star and five-time champion Ron Harper. Dylan, the No. 2 pick of last year's NBA Draft, said that he's excited to play in his first NBA Finals and with a fellow Filipino-American on the biggest NBA stage. "I think me and Jordan Clarkson are doing a great job doing that. My biggest thing is to focus on what's in front of me," he said in a Basketball Nation article.
On the other hand, the Knicks guard Clarkson is of Filipino descent through his maternal grandmother. Clarkson once played for the national team, Gilas Pilipinas, in the 2018 Asian Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia. It will be the second NBA Finals appearance for the 2021 Sixth Man of the Year. Clarkson's first was with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2018, when they lost to the Golden State Warriors.
Clarkson, who also played for Gilas Pilipinas in the Fiba Basketball World Cup 2023, is averaging 5.4 points and almost two rebounds for the Knicks. Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals tips off on Wednesday (Thursday, June 4, PH time).
