With Game 7 just completed in the Western Conference of the U.S. National Basketball Association, the stage is set for the 2026 finals between New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs, which came from behind and won two-in-a-row to stun the Oklahoma City Thunders, 111-103, in their epic May 30 encounter.
The NBA Finals starting June 3, has always been a main sporting event for Filipino basketball followers but this year, the matches will be like no other.
The close following by Pinoy fans will not really be because of the impressive plays expected from big scorers Victor Wembayana De’Aaron Fox, Stephen Castle and Devon Vassell of the Spurs and the Knicks’ Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby Jr. and Mikal Bridges.
It’s more because of two convo guards, one widely loved by Filipinos, especially after leading the Philippines in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, and the other, a rookie with a bright future – with both players having Filipino mothers.
Yes, the Philippines has representations in both teams in the 2026 NBA finals – 6’5” Jordan Clarkson of the Knicks, and San Antonio’s Dylan Harper, who also stands 6’5”.
Jordan’s U.S.-born mother, Annette, is the daughter of Marcelina Tuliao, a native of Bacolor, Pampanga while Dylan’s mom, Maria Pizarro migrated from Bataan when she was 7 years old.
The transfer of Clarkson, 33, from Utah Jazz to the Knicks’ this season proved a lucky break with the former Cleveland Cavaliers player registering 8.6 points during the regular season, 1.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists while averaging 17.8 minutes per game.
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Basketball is a family affair for the Harpers. Dylan’s father, Ron Harper, is five-time NBA champion while his older brother, Ron Jr., plays for the Boston Celtics.
Accounts, however, show that Dylan’s basketball career has largely been influenced by his mother, a coach of almost three decades. She played for the University of New Orleans basketball team and later became a high school varsity head coach.
She coached Dylan from his elementary school playing date until his senior year in high school, when he also played in the USA Basketball Men’s Juniors Team minicamp.
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I started to get interested in the basketball career of Dylan when he was 19, while playing for the Rutgers University Scarlet Knights in his one-and-done standout season last year. He led Rutgers the scoring machine with an average of 19.4 points , 4.6 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game while shooting 48?4 percent from the field.
Rutgers plays in the Big Ten Conference, where my university team, the Fighting Illini, a Final Four team in the 2026 NCAA basketball season, also belongs.
Dylan also set the all-time high Freshman record at Rutgers with 564 points in 29 games.
Because of his remarkable statistics, he became No. 2 overall in the NBA 2025 draft.
With the Spurs, Dylan averaged 23.6 minutes per game in 69-regular season games and registered 11.8 points, 3.9 assists and 3.4 rebounds.
At 20, he is one of the youngest NBA players to advance to the finals.
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We are assured that one with Filipino roots will raise the 2026 NBA trophy on June 20 (or earlier), assuming that the series stretches to Game 7. For this reason, this year’s NBA championship series is a special one for Filipinos basketball fans.
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Congratulations to the legendary softball coach Lizvi Jalandoni for mentoring the Bacolod City NHS softball team to a golden finish at Palarong Pambansa held in Agusan Del Sur.
The BCNHS softbelles edged Central Luzon, 3-2, in the titular match.
Congratulations, too, to San Carlos City’s Julio Ledesma NHS futsal team, which prevailed over the National Capital Region, 4-2, to clinch the Palaro girls’ futsal crown.
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Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. (1 Corinthians 9:24) | NWI
