AT least in Utah, the Philippine-Australia relations are a-ok.
No less than Joe Ingles presented the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award to Jordan Clarkson on Tuesday (Manila time), with the Aussie gunner surprising the Fil-Am guard with the trophy during NBA TNT Tip-Off.
"I was really speechless. I don't really do well with surprises and stuff like that," said Clarkson, who becomes the first Jazz player to win the top honors for players coming off the bench.
What made the surprise all the more special was Ingles, who Clarkson considers as one of his closest peers in Utah.
"That's amazing," the 6-foot-4 slasher said. "I would say he's up there being one of my closest teammates."
"We've sat in locker rooms where it's just me and him and I've had conversations with my personal life and stuff like that. He sits across from me on the plane and we hang out, we drink beers together, and we should come out with a beer company soon with how many beers we drink on off days."
It's a heartwarming friendship to witness given the curious situation between the two countries stemming from the infamous brawl between Gilas Pilipinas and the Australia Boomers back in July 2018.
But since then, bridges have been crossed, with the most notable being Filipino prodigy Kai Sotto committing to play for the Adelaide 36ers in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) next season.
It turns out, Clarkson and Ingles were hardly affected by that complicated history.
So much so that the 28-year-old Clarkson tips his hat to the 33-year-old Ingles for the unselfishness he has exhibited for the Jazz.
"It's just an amazing thing for him because he's accepted the role of coming off the bench and doing that despite knowing that he's a starter and one of the big players in this league," said Clarkson. "He just affects the game in so many ways. Him making that sacrifice late in his career coming off the bench, he's helped me a lot. I'm going out there and not having to fight all the pressures and know everything by myself."
That's why Ingles presenting Clarkson the hardware just made the moment all the more special, as he said: "Him presenting me the award was amazing. Like I said, he's probably one of my closest teammates, a guy that I'll never lose contact with."
Clarkson is well aware that in the NBA, nothing really is permanent and anyone can be traded in a moment's notice. But it doesn't mean that any trade should signal him terminating his bond with Ingles.
"I might buy one of his houses in Australia just so I could post up on the beach with him after drinking a few brews," he chuckled.
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