I’ll admit it—I don’t really feel proud when I see how Filipinos celebrate Jordan Clarkson’s NBA championship with the New York Knicks. It kind of embarrasses me more than anything.
And look, it’s not that Clarkson doesn’t deserve praise. Winning an NBA title is a huge deal, and he actually contributed to it. What gets under my skin is this habit many Filipinos have of hunting for Filipino roots in any successful person’s family tree, then treating that person’s win like it’s our own national victory.
Now Clarkson is being called the “first Pinoy to win an NBA ring.” Local sports media repeats it so often that people act like it’s an undeniable fact. Some are even suggesting Congress should officially recognize him—because apparently, if there’s even a drop of Filipino blood in someone’s veins, the whole country needs to issue a formal thank you.
This is where things get messy.
Jordan Clarkson is American. He was born and raised in the U.S., learned basketball there, played college ball there, and built his NBA career there. The Philippines didn’t discover him, train him, or create the opportunities that led to his ring.
Yes, his Filipino ancestry is real. Let’s be clear: His maternal grandmother, Marcelina Tullao Kingsolver, was from Pampanga. His mom is part Filipino, and Clarkson is about one-quarter Filipino by ancestry.
He’s embraced that heritage, gotten a Philippine passport, and played for Gilas Pilipinas a few times. That’s real, and it shouldn’t be dismissed.
But we also shouldn’t blow it out of proportion.
FIBA classifies Clarkson as a naturalized player for the Philippines because of their eligibility rules—especially around when he got his passport. That’s a sporting classification, not a statement on whether he has a real connection to the country. Although he clearly does.
The most honest way to put it: Clarkson is the first Filipino-American—or the first NBA champion of Filipino descent—to win a ring. That’s accurate, specific, and still worth celebrating.
What gets ridiculous is when we drop all the qualifiers and start presenting him as simply a Filipino athlete whose championship belongs to the Philippines. That’s just soaking in someone else’s success. Turning their achievement into our own, just by repeating it enough times.
The hysterical Philippine sports media seems dead set on force-feeding this narrative. Maybe it’s harmless. Maybe people just want something to be happy about. And honestly, who am I to complain? Just some random person shouting into the void, easily drowned out by the roar of Pinoy pride.
Still, words should mean something. Jordan Clarkson is an American basketball player with genuine Filipino roots. He’s represented the Philippines, and that bond is real. But his NBA championship with the Knicks is his. Not yours.