Spurs star Dylan Harper and Knicks star Jordan Clarkson are competing to make NBA History as the first Filipino-American to win an NBA championship, with the latter inspiring the former
Dylan Harper gave Jordan Clarkson his flowers for being an inspiration to him as a Filipino-American basketball player(Image: Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The 2026 NBA Finals will be historic in a specific way: A Filipino-American basketball player will be crowned an NBA champion.
Since the NBA’s inception in 1946, six players of Filipino descent have competed in the league. Now, two of them will be battling for a chance to lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy: The New York Knicks’ Jordan Clarkson and the San Antonio Spurs’ Dylan Harper.
While the two will be playing for the biggest prize in professional basketball, Harper understands that Clarkson’s impact in the NBA was instrumental, especially as more Filipino-Americans look to play in the league. The Spurs star said as much after San Antonio’s 111-103 Game 7 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Taking the podium after a hard-fought series, Harper was told that, regardless of who won, a Filipino-American basketball player would be an NBA champion. He was then asked if he would consider playing for the Philippines in the future, as Clarkson has done in the past, and the star rookie admitted that while he was focused specifically on the Finals, the thought had occurred to him.
“I think my focus is on these next games, this next series, but obviously it’s a blessing to represent the Philippines and know where I’m from,” he said to reporters after the win. “I think me and Jordan Clarkson do a great job of doing that, but my biggest thing is just focusing on what’s in front of me.”
By focusing on what’s ahead of him, Harper can help the Spurs win their sixth championship in franchise history while also being the first player of Filipino descent to be named an NBA champion. Clarkson, on the other hand, is aiding the Knicks in their quest to win their first championship in over five decades.
Since the NBA became a formal league, more people have walked on the moon (12) than players with Filipino-American blood. It must be noted that Erik Spoelstra won multiple championships with the Miami Heat, though he was either a coach or part of the coaching staff during those years.
As it stands, Clarkson, Harper, Ron Harper Jr., Jalen Green and Jared McCain are the lone Filipino-Americans in the NBA, representing a country of more than 115 million people. For almost a decade, Clarkson was the lone Filipino-American in the league, joining Raymond Townsend in that capacity.
Townsend broke league barriers when he suited up for the Golden State Warriors and Indiana Pacers, playing in the NBA from 1978 to 1985.
Knowing that he is no longer alone representing a basketball-crazed country, Clarkson understood what he had accomplished and gave the current crop of Filipino-American NBA stars their flowers for using the blueprint he established, hoping it carries on moving forward.
“It’s pretty cool just to see those young dudes make it here and impact on their teams in big ways,” he exclusively told Mirror U.S. Sports after the Knicks’ 110-97 regular-season loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on March 8.
“I would hope [that] I did inspire them to do that, but those dudes put in the work and made their dream come true. So just trying to inspire the next group of guys that are Filipino to make it here.”
When it is all said and done, either Harper or Clarkson will be crowned an NBA champion. Still, the impact of the win goes beyond just either star, as they will have made league history and perhaps encouraged a new generation of Filipino and Filipino-American players to strive to reach the NBA.
Just like how Clarkson did for players in this current era.
