'He’ll be there': Source says Jordan Clarkson will join Gilas in FIBA World Cup

JERSEY CITY, New Jersey — Jordan Clarkson joining Gilas Pilipinas in their preparation for the FIBA World Cup next month is no longer a question of if but when.

“His plans to represent the Philippines haven’t changed. He’ll be there,” a person with direct knowledge of the situation told Philstar.com on condition of anonymity.

On June 23, Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes was quoted as telling News5's Martie Bautista that there was “Still no firm, concrete commitment with regards to dates because of the situation with his contract still up in the air."

But with Clarkson finalizing a $55 million, three-year extension with the Utah Jazz per multiple reports, Filipino fans can now look forward to the 2020-21 Sixth Man of the Year banner Gilas’ campaign in the world championships on the Philippine soil. 

The Philstar.com source, however, cannot confirm at this time if the Jazz star can catch the ongoing Gilas’ training camp in Europe.  

Another source familiar with the negotiation between Clarkson’s camp and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) told Philstar.com last Friday (Saturday, Manila time) that “There should be no other reason for [Clarkson] not to join Gilas now except maybe the amount he is asking for and the limited number of days he wants to be with the team. That’s being negotiated.”

Clarkson and Kai Sotto, who will play for the Orlando Magic in the NBA Summer League from July 7-17 in Las Vegas, have already missed a large chunk of the Gilas training camp. The national pool is currently in Lithuania for the second leg of their scrimmages against European teams after starting their trip in Estonia last week. 

Gilas opens its FIBA World Cup campaign against the Dominican Republic on August 25 at the 55,000-seater Philippine Arena in Bulacan. 

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Alder Almo is a former senior sportswriter for Philstar.com and NBA.com Philippines. He is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey, and writes for the New York-based website Heavy.com.