Jordan Clarkson issues official statement on Gilas Pilipinas Stint

Fil-American NBA Player Jordan Clarkson was officially included in the lineup of the Gilas Pilipinas quintet but it seems that he won’t be playing just yet.

Clarkson, who according to reports is an actual Philippine passport holder, may not immediately be available to play for the Philippine national squad.

According to a report from the Philippine Star, Clarkson’s father Mike says that timing is a bit off seeing that his son is committed to playing for the Los Angeles Lakers.

“As you know in professional sports, timing is of the essence especially when managing a player’s career,” he continued.

“Unfortunately, the timing couldn’t be worse as he [Jordan] prepares for rigors of the upcoming 2015-2016 NBA season and heightened performance expectations.”

This development comes as a letdown though hope floats for the Philippines in future events as long as it does not conflict with his NBA commitments.

On the matter, below is the official statement regarding his possible stint with Gilas Pilipinas as released by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP).

“MY FATHER, MIKE, HAS ALWAYS LOOKED OUT FOR MY WELFARE AND IS ONLY GENUINELY CONCERNED FOR MY CAREER, MY FUTURE AND MY WELLBEING – HIS THOUGHTS ARE THAT OF A VERY LOVING DAD.

I JUST CALLED HIM AND WE AGREED WE WILL TALK ABOUT MY PLAYING FOR GILAS WHEN I GET BACK. NOTHING IS CAST IN STONE. BUT I WANT TO ASSURE MY FILIPINO BROTHERS AND SISTERS THAT, IF GIVEN THE CHANCE AND EVERYTHING CAN BE WORKED OUT, I SINCERELY WISH TO PLAY FOR GILAS AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE TOTAL TEAM EFFORT FOR FLAG AND COUNTRY – THIS IS THE REASON WHY I AM OBSERVING AND FAMILIARIZING MYSELF WITH THE TEAM WHILE HERE AND WILL EVEN FOLLOW THEM IN TAIPEI FOR THE JONES CUP SO I CAN SEE THEM COMPETE CLOSE UP AND BENEFIT FROM THE LEARNINGS FROM SAID EXPERIENCE. LABAN PILIPINAS! PUSO!”