Two Filipino-American players will take center stage at the 2026 NBA Finals for the first time ever, and no matter who comes out on top, a player with Filipino roots will be bringing home the highly coveted NBA Championship trophy.
Photo: Dylan Harper and Jordan Clarkson/Instagram
On May 31 (Philippine time), Dylan Harper and the San Antonio Spurs secured their place in the Finals after defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder, 111-103, in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. The Thunder previously represented the Western Conference in the 2025 NBA Finals.
Harper was selected as the second overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. With just one year in the NBA, the 20-year-old Filipino-American has already reached the league’s biggest stage.
Following San Antonio’s victory, Harper was asked about facing another player with Filipino heritage in the Finals.
“I think my focus is on these next games, this next series,” he said.
“It’s a blessing to represent the Philippines and know where I’m from. So I mean I think me and Jordan Clarkson do a great job of doing that, but I mean my biggest thing is just focusing on what’s in front of me,” he added.
The Spurs will now face the New York Knicks, whose roster includes Filipino-American guard Jordan Clarkson.
Drafted in 2014, Clarkson has played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Utah Jazz before joining the Knicks.
Apart from his NBA career, the 33-year-old Fil-Am star has proudly represented the Philippines as a member of Gilas Pilipinas during the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.
The 2021 NBA Sixth Man of the Year is no stranger to the Finals, as this marks his second appearance on basketball’s biggest stage.
This year’s Finals are a must-watch for longtime NBA fans. The Knicks and Spurs previously faced each other in the 1999 NBA Finals, when 22-year-old Tim Duncan and 33-year-old David Robinson led San Antonio to its first-ever NBA championship.
The 2026 NBA Finals will tip off on June 3 in the United States (June 4 in the Philippines).
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