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Clarkson: Flag-bearer duties for Philippines one of 'happiest days'

ADEK BERRY / AFP / Getty

By virtue of his mother's ancestry, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Jordan Clarkson ranks as one of the most prominent athletes with Filipino roots this side of Manny Pacquiao. He was treated as such when he was honored as the Philippines' flag-bearer for the opening ceremony of the Asian Games, being held over the next two weeks in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The significance of the distinction was not lost on Clarkson.

“It was probably one of the happiest days I’ve had in my career, in my life,” said Clarkson, according to The Associated Press' Stephen Wade. “Just seeing everybody’s face, how happy everybody was.”

Though the Philippines men's national team ranks a respectable 30th in the world on the current FIBA leaderboard, the basketball-crazed nation is looking to their lone NBA player to lead the team back to champion status. Despite winning the first four men's tournaments at the Asian Games, the Philippines haven't won the tournament since 1962 and haven't finished on the podium since 1998.

China, the region's powerhouse national program, accounts for seven of the last 10 championship-winning squads. They, too, boast NBA pedigree in the 2018 Games, with Houston Rockets center Zhou Qi and Dallas Mavericks wing Ding Yanyuhang also approved to participate by the NBA.

For his part, the historical weight of the Philippines' passion for the game mixed with its relative lack of success in international tournaments isn't weighing heavily on the team's most prodigious player or his teammates.

“I don’t think there’s pressure for any of the guys,” said Clarkson. “You say all the pressure is going to be on me, but I don’t think so. We got a team full of players that are ready to come out there and compete.”

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