Jordan Clarkson's Sixth Man of the Year award worth the wait, says father

Jordan Clarkson's father couldn't be any prouder when the Utah Jazz guard received this year's NBA Sixth Man of the Year award.

In fact, the whole Clarkson family flew all the way to Salt Lake City in Utah to witness the historic moment in the young basketball career of the Filipino-American cager.

"Is Jordan's current success worth the wait? It certainly was. We're very proud of him and yes, it was well worth the wait," said Mike Clarkson in Chino Trinidad's report on "24 Oras," Thursday.

According to Mike, he made sure to imprint all important values on Clarkson when the 6-foot-4 swingman was starting to play basketball. And this, for him, was what brought his son to places they themselves couldn't imagine before.

"I taught him the value of determination and perseverance," Mike said. "You have to be determined to pursue your goal but once you run into that setback, you have to have perseverance to get past that threshold and to achieve your goal."

READ: Jordan Clarkson’s Sixth Man of the Year award a tribute to men who won it before him

Mike hopes to someday see his son make it to the NBA All-Star Game but before that, he knows his 28-year-old is more focused on helping the franchise win the NBA title this year.

Currently, the Jazz is in a tied series (1-1) with Memphis Grizzlies. Clarkson, who averaged a career-high 18.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 26.7 minutes in 68 games he played, would be a key cog in the team's road to that chip.

—Bea Micaller/MGP, GMA News