Who Is Jordan Clarkson? Facts About the First Fil-Am NBA Champion
Following the New York Knicks’ recent win, he made history as the first basketball player of Filipino descent to bag an NBA championship.
by Kyla Villena
Published on Jun 17, 2026
New York was painted blue and orange as the Knicks ended their 53-year drought and bagged the National Basketball Association (NBA) championship on June 14. After five thrilling games, they defeated the San Antonio Spurs by four points, sealing a 94–90 victory.
The victory is also being celebrated in the Philippines. Among the Knicks’ championship-winning roster is Filipino-American guard Jordan Clarkson, who made history as the first player of Filipino descent to win an NBA title. Ahead, get to know the athlete behind the milestone.
Who Is Jordan Clarkson? 5 Things About the Fil-Am Athlete
He is 34 years old.
Jordan was born on June 7, 1992 in Tampa, Florida to African-American Mike Clarkson and Filipino-American Annette Tullao Davis. The dual citizen acquired his Philippine passport when he was 12 years old.
Despite growing up in the States, he stayed close with his Filipino side thanks to his maternal grandmother, Marcelina Tullao Kingsolver, who helped introduce him to the culture.
He was named after Michael Jordan.
Jordan was destined for basketball from the moment he was born—quite literally, as he was named after legend Michael Jordan. In an interview with ESPN, his father, Mike, revealed that he chose the name because he admired the basketball icon’s work ethic.
He initially played a different sport.
Basketball was not Jordan’s first love. Among the different sports he has tried, he was initially drawn to track and field. His dad revealed in the same interview that Jordan’s specialty was 400 meters. “For three years straight, he swept the sprints,” he proudly shared.
Jordan was 14 years old when his basketball journey was realized.
He has been in the NBA for 12 years.
In the final year of his thriving collegiate basketball career, Jordan declared for the 2014 NBA Draft. Since then, he has worn many jerseys, having played for the Los Angeles Lakers, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Utah Jazz before joining the New York Knicks. To this day, he remains the only Filipino athlete to have played alongside both NBA greats Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.
Jordan was also named NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2021. The annual award recognizes the league’s best-performing player who primarily comes off the bench as a substitute—also known as the sixth man.
He has played for the Philippine national team.
NBA players are allowed to participate in specific international competitions only, like the Olympics and the Continental Cup. However, Jordan was given a one-time exception to represent Gilas Pilipinas at the 2018 Asian Games. He also played for the team in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
Congratulations, Jordan and the rest of the Knicks!
Kyla Villena loves a good lip gloss and a trip to the art gallery. She is Preview's beauty girl, who doubles as a self-proclaimed motivational speaker.