MANILA – The Filipino-American guard Jordan Clarkson won the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) 2020-2021 Season Sixth Man of the Year award.
Clarkson edged out Utah Jazz’s teammate Joe Ingles, New York Knicks’ Derrick Rose, and Dallas Mavericks’ Jalen Brunson and Tim Hardaway Jr. for the individual plum.
Clarkson once don the Gilas Pilipinas colors in the 2019 Asian Games. According to him, he aspired to win the top citation for NBA players coming off the bench.
“One goal and achievement that I do want to have under my belt is to win the Sixth Man of the Year award,” Clarkson said in a virtual conversation with Filipino sportswriters.
“Having that opportunity to come out there and be with this organization that’s just going to be great for me. So I have to come out and perform and help the team get wins,” he added.
Clarkson’s triumph was announced in the middle of his guesting with Ingles at TNT’s “Inside the NBA” show on Monday (Tuesday in the Philippines).
Host Ernie Johnson conducted an impromptu trivia session for the two basketball players and asked, “How many Utah Jazz players have ever won the award?” in the final question.
The Fil-Am guard answered zero, but Ingles guessed one. Johnson asked the latter to name who it was; Ingles then brought the award trophy and presented it to Clarkson.
“I tried to get him the ball as much as possible so he could win Sixth Man of the Year,” Ingles said on Clarkson. “No, I think his impact off the bench is something he’s embraced and taken pride in.”
Clarkson had a career-season average of 18.4 points, on 42.5 percent fieldgoal shooting, 34.7 percent three-point shooting, and 89.6 percent free-throw shooting, to go along with 4.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.7 steals./PN
