Philippine basketball player makes history by winning NBA championship

Despite spending several seasons in the NBA, it wasn't until this season that the Philippines' leading basketball icon secured his first career championship ring.

Philippine basketball player Jordan Clarkson won his first NBA championship after helping the New York Knicks succeed in the 2025-2026 season. He is also the first Filipino-origin player in history to claim the prestigious title in the American professional basketball league.

In the fifth game of the NBA Finals series, held on the morning of June 14 (Vietnam time), the Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 on their home court,securing a 4-1 series victory and officially becoming the new champions of the American professional basketball league. This is the Knicks' first NBA title since 1973, earning championship rings for most of the current roster, including Clarkson.

Jordan Clarkson, born in 1992 in Florida, USA, has a mother who is a Filipino-American, and he represents the top Southeast Asian national team in FIBA competitions. He developed in the American basketball system, playing for two college teams—the Tulsa Golden Hurricane and the Missouri Tigers—before turning professional in 2014. He was selected 46th overall in the second round of the NBA Draft that year by the Washington Wizards but was immediately traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Except for the 2015-2016 season, when he started 79 games, Clarkson primarily played the role of a "super-sub,"; he was a game-changer whenever he entered the court, thanks to his skills and versatile, accurate shooting. He spent three and a half seasons with the Lakers, two seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, then joined the Utah Jazz, where he was a standout star before moving to the Knicks at the start of the 2025-2026 season.

Clarkson played 72 games for the Knicks in the regular season—71 of which came off the bench—averaging 8.6 points with a 45.1% shooting efficiency. In the playoffs, the 34-year-old star appeared in 17 games, contributing significantly to the New York team's triumphant campaign.

This is the second consecutive year the NBA has seen a champion with a Southeast Asian-rooted player. Last season, Vietnamese-American forward Jaylin Williams stood on the podium with the Oklahoma City Thunder,.