At A Glance
- China's naturalized player Kyle Anderson is bracing for an intriguing duel with an old friend and former collegiate rival Jordan Clarkson of Gilas Pilipinas in their FIBA Basketball World Cup classification game on Saturday, Sept. 2, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
By MARK REY MONTEJO
China’s naturalized player Kyle Anderson is bracing for an intriguing duel with an old friend and former collegiate rival Jordan Clarkson of Gilas Pilipinas in their FIBA Basketball World Cup classification game on Saturday, Sept. 2, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“I’ve been playing against him (Clarkson) since college, so it’s always fun to go against him. And that’s one of my friends off the court, so it’ll be fun to compete,” said Anderson, whose Chinese team finished fourth and last in Group B with a 0-3 record.
The 6-foot-9 Anderson, whose Chinese name is Li Kaier, and Clarkson were familiar foes as they currently play for different NBA teams with the former suiting up for the Minnesota Timberwolves and the latter the Utah Jazz.
The two also clashed during their US NCAA Division I days as Anderson suited up for UCLA while Clarkson for Tulsa and Missouri.
Anderson said that although they are already out of the running in the competition, they still consider the next couple of games important as they gun for a berth to the 2024 Paris Olympics that is being staked in this tournament.
The key, though, is learning from their past mistakes.
“I think we just have to look at how we can get better with this game and try to go out there and play hard the next game and figure it out. We need some time to prepare,” said Anderson.
“We’re not quitters. We’re gonna keep fighting, I don’t think anyone in this team has any quit in them so we’re gonna keep going,”
“It’s going to be an intense environment. They’re a really good team and they’ve got some good players over there and have their crowd on their side. It’s going to be a tough but fun environment,” he added.
Curiously, Anderson, whose maternal great grandfather has Chinese blood, underachieved since announcing last July that he’ll play for China after averaging 10.3 points, four rebounds and 2.7 assists in three games.