NBA star Jordan Clarkson wants chance to show his Pinoy pride at 2023 All-Star Game

NBA star Jordan Clarkson is hoping to represent not just Utah but also the Philippines at the upcoming 2023 NBA All-Star Game in Salt Lake City on Feb. 19.

The Filipino American Utah Jazz guard, who is currently in his first season as a starter, is averaging a career-high of 21.1 points, 4.4 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game while shooting 45.3 percent from the field, as of this writing.

Fan votes account for 50 percent of the votes for the five starters for each conference, while NBA players’ votes and media votes account for 25 percent each. Meanwhile, the seven reserve players are chosen by a vote of each conference’s coaches. Fans can vote for their favorite players by logging on the NBA.com or on the NBA app.

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Despite an impressive 2022-2023 season, Clarkson has yet to crack the top 10 ranking for the two guard spots on the Western Conference All-Star starters in the fan voting, which ends on Jan. 21. The All-Star starters will be announced on Jan. 26.

In the Philippines, basketball fans are using social media to campaign for more votes for the 30-year-old shooting guard.

“It makes me feel great to be loved and supported,” he told the Philippine media during a recent interview. “It’s the best feeling ever. For me, I definitely want to represent myself, my family, the country in the All-Star Game. I just feel the love, like always.”

Even if he doesn’t muster enough votes to be an All-Star starter, he could still make his first All-Star game appearance as one of seven reserves via the votes from the league’s 30 head coaches.

While his priority is to rack up more wins for his team and make the playoffs, Clarkson believes he deserves to be an All-Star player this year.

“I think I’m playing at an All-Star caliber, I know we gotta win more games before the All-Star break to kind of push us up to the top of the West,” Clarkson said. “But I think I’ve been playing at a high level. I know in the West they’ve got a lot of talented guards. But I feel like I can represent Utah, the Philippines at the All-Star Game if it happens. It would be exciting if that happens.”

“For right now, not concentrating too much on that [All-Star]. [I’m] concentrating on getting these wins and trying to keep propelling this team towards the top of the West,” he added.

Clarkson, who won the 2021 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award, shared in a separate interview that his current breakout season is due to better shot selection and aggressive offense.

“Just picking my spots throughout the game,” he said. “From me being aggressive scoring, knowing when that time is and also being aggressive in making plays for my teammates. That’s the biggest thing I’ve been balancing throughout this whole year.”

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