Philippine Consulate congratulates New York Knicks, Fil-Am star Jordan Clarkson

NEW YORK — The Philippine Consulate General in New York congratulated the New York Knicks on winning the 2026 NBA Championship on Saturday (US time).

In a statement, the Consulate said it was a great honor for the Filipino diaspora and the Filipino-American community to have Filipino-American athlete Jordan Clarkson as a member of the New York Knicks.

"The Philippine Consulate General in New York congratulates the New York Knicks on their historic 2026 NBA Championship victory," the statement read.

"We also take pride in Filipino-American Jordan Clarkson, shooting guard of the New York Knicks, whose achievement is a proud moment for the Filipino diaspora," it said.

The New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 on Saturday to claim their first NBA championship since 1973, Reuters reported.

Clarkson became the first Filipino-American to win an NBA championship.

In 2017, Clarkson visited the Philippine Center in New York, where he received a warm welcome from the Filipino-American community.

Jordan Taylor Clarkson was born in Tampa, Florida. His father, Mike Clarkson, is African-American, while his mother, Annette Tullao Davis, traces her roots to Bacolor, Pampanga, Philippines.

Both of Clarkson's parents served in the United States Armed Forces.

Clarkson began his collegiate basketball career at the University of Tulsa. During his freshman season, he earned a spot on the 2011 Conference USA All-Freshman Team after being named Conference USA Freshman of the Week four times.

As a sophomore, Clarkson was named to the All-Conference USA First Team and the NABC All-District 11 Team.

In May 2012, Clarkson transferred to the University of Missouri and sat out the 2012–13 season due to NCAA transfer rules.

During his redshirt junior season, he was named to the 2014 All-SEC Second Team and was included in the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 list.

On March 31, 2014, Clarkson declared for the NBA Draft, foregoing his final year of college eligibility and beginning his professional basketball career.

He made his NBA debut in October 2014 with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Clarkson visited his mother's home province Pampanga in August 2015.

Clarkson also represented the Philippines as a member of Gilas Pilipinas in international competition, including the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup and the 2023 Asian Games.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani will host a championship celebration at City Hall Plaza following the historic ticker-tape parade on June 18, marking the team's first NBA title in 53 years. —KG, GMA News