Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas statement re: Jordan Clarkson

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas released a two-pronged statement on Tuesday. The first part of the statement delves into the Jordan Clarkson situation, as noted in full below:

The vision of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas is to form a national team that will be able to qualify for the 2016 Olympic games in Rio. That goal is fueled by the incomparable and inspiring love for basketball Filipinos have. We have always wanted to give our team the best possible chance, thereby instilling national pride in the hearts of our basketball crazy fans.

We did all that we could to have Jordan Clarkson join Gilas for the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship but we are saddened to report that we are not able to beat the deadline to secure the necessary clearances on time.

Although we pushed the boundaries whenever possible, this process cannot be rushed if it were to be done properly. But we respectfully adhere to the schedules set by the Los Angeles Lakers whom SBP officials Ricky Vargas and Pato Gregorio met with to try to exhaust all possible options. SBP Executive Director Sonny Barrios was also in Geneva to personally attend to the guidelines set by FIBA which also required more time.

The interest and passion of Jordan Clarkson himself with the full support of his family, to don the Gilas jersey serves as a reason for SBP to be hopeful. Though the doors on the 2015 FIBA Asia meet have been closed, the future of the national team program is encouraging with Clarkson’s desire to represent flag and country.

Finalizing the lineup for FIBA Asia was a challenge for Coach Tab Baldwin with the question on the availability of Jordan Clarkson looming. But now, the team shall move forward and put together a squad that will go into battle for national pride.

Jordan Clarkson himself realizes that his inclusion to the Philippine Team at this late hour may possibly distract the focus of the team.

The Los Angeles Lakers Management has allowed Jordan Clarkson to play for the Gilas Pilipinas Team as long as it will not conflict with the schedule of the NBA. Unfortunately, under this limitation, Jordan Clarkson can only participate in the elimination phase of the tournament. This scheduling issue is distinct only to the FIBA Asia Zone, and it does not occur in the other FIBA zones. By this token, we will ask FIBA Asia to consider holding the tournament in the same manner as FIBA Americas, Europe, Oceania and Africa do, that is avoiding scheduling conflict with the calendar of the NBA.

The Lakers open their training camp at the end of September, which falls into the second round of play of FIBA-Asia.