SBP invites Laker executives to Manila

MANILA, Philippines - SBP vice chairman Ricky Vargas and former PBA chairman Patrick Gregorio said yesterday they hope their recent visit to the Los Angeles Lakers executive offices will cement an enduring relationship with the NBA franchise in relation to sharing the basketball skills of 6-4 Fil-Am guard Jordan Clarkson.

Vargas and Gregorio met with Lakers president Jeanie Buss once and Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak twice during their brief trip last week. The meetings were held at the corporate headquarters in the Toyota Sports Center which is also where the Lakers, the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, the NBA D-League’s Los Angeles D-Fenders and hockey team Los Angeles Kings work out.

“We discussed with Mitch the possibility of Jordan playing for Gilas at the FIBA Asia Championships in Changsha on Sept. 23-Oct. 3,” said Gregorio. “Mitch told us that Jordan is still a young man and we should all protect his future. If he grows to be the star he could be, he’ll be more stable and focused. His rise to the top is just starting. The Lakers allowed Jordan to play in Changsha on condition it will not conflict with his schedule with the team.”

The limitations are Clarkson must attend Media Day in Los Angeles on Sept. 28 and the Lakers training camp in Hawaii on Sept. 29-Oct. 7. The camp calendar includes preseason games against the Utah Jazz at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu on Oct. 4 and 8. In Changsha, the Philippines is scheduled to play Palestine on Sept. 23, Hong Kong on Sept. 24 and Kuwait on Sept. 25. There will be a rest day on Sept. 26 then the second round begins on Sept. 27 and ends Sept. 29. After another rest day on Sept. 30, the quarterfinals will be played on Oct. 1, semifinals on Oct. 2 and final on Oct. 3. With the Lakers constraints, Clarkson will be cleared to play only in the three preliminary games by the Lakers. That would assume Clarkson’s eligibility to play as a Filipino is approved by FIBA.

Kupchak was asked if Clarkson could be excused for three days from camp so he could join Gilas in the playoffs. Kupchak said he would take it up with Lakers head coach Byron Scott. SBP executive director Sonny Barrios, meanwhile, flew to Geneva to confer with Ivanka Toteva, manager of the Sport and Eligibility Department, on the possibility of enlisting Clarkson as a Filipino for the national team. Barrios brought along the documents that FIBA required to prove his eligibility.

With no confirmation from the Lakers and FIBA, the SBP decided to exclude Clarkson from the Gilas 12-man lineup that had to be submitted on or before Sept. 8. “It would be unfair to everybody, to Jordan, the Lakers, FIBA and the Gilas players to include him,” said Gregorio. “We understand eligibility clearance entails a process and FIBA can’t rush it. We also understand how difficult it is for the Lakers to make Jordan an exception to the house rules. With FIBA clearance, Jordan could play only the first three games where we don’t really need him. And when we need him, he wouldn’t be able to come. If we list him up for the preliminaries, we’ll be down to 11 men starting the second round. Under the circumstances, we didn’t want to prolong the agony of waiting. Time was the ultimate judge.”

 The SBP’s decision to exclude Clarkson was a bitter pill to swallow, said Gregorio. “We gave it a try,” he added. “We addressed all possible concerns. We are sad that it had to come to this. Before the deadline of Sept. 8, we had neither a yes nor a no from the Lakers and FIBA.”

Gregorio said the meeting with the 53-year-old Buss was encouraging. SBP president Manny V. Pangilinan spoke to Buss on the phone from Manila while Vargas and Gregorio were in her office. “It was 3 a.m., Manila time, and Boss MVP was awake to speak with Ms. Buss,” said Gregorio. Buss cut short a vacation to receive the visitors in Los Angeles. Vargas and Gregorio were accompanied by Cincinnati wealth management firm East West Private chief operating officer Chao Chuatico Espaldon at the meeting.

“The first thing we did was to take a photo with Ms. Buss,” said Gregorio. “Both Mr. Vargas and I were swept off our feet by her charm and engaging personality. We told her there are millions of Laker fans in the Philippines and with Jordan announcing he’s ready to play for Gilas, we expect even more. We invited her to Manila. We didn’t discuss Jordan’s details with Ms. Buss. We thanked her for the opportunity to meet. She found cute our story that when we entered Los Angeles, the immigration officer asked what brought us over. When we replied Jeanie Buss, our papers were stamped right away. It’s proof of her popularity and I think she blushed.”

Kupchak advised the SBP executives of the clear conflict in Clarkson’s schedule. He toured the visitors around the $24 Million facility that was inaugurated in 2000. He said the Lakers would move to a brand-new, 122,000-square foot, $80 Million practice facility and corporate headquarters, also in El Segundo, in late spring 2017. Kupchak, 61, played for Washington in the NBA from 1978 to 1982 but missed the team’s visit to Manila in 1979 when the Bullets, now known as the Wizards, came with eight players to beat the PBA All-Stars, 133-123, before over 30,000 fans at the Araneta Coliseum. Kupchak played on three NBA title squads before retiring with the Lakers in 1986. He, too, was invited to visit Manila.

“We went to Los Angeles not just to explore the possibility of playing Jordan in Changsha but also to establish a relationship with the Lakers,” said Gregorio. “Jordan is committed to play for Gilas in the future but only with the Lakers blessings. I wouldn’t describe it as a business meeting. It was more of a getting-to-know-you visit.”