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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Basketball devider Jordan Clarkson celebrates Filipino roots, reveals love for lumpia, adobo and halo-halo

Jordan Clarkson celebrates Filipino roots, reveals love for lumpia, adobo and halo-halo

Published Apr 18, 2026 06:10 pm

At A Glance

  • NBA star Jordan Clarkson took some time away from the competitive league and dove right through the bustling streets of New York City to find pockets of Filipino culture and celebrate his heritage.
Jordan Clarkson during his visit to Renee's Kitchenette in New York (Screengrab from Off Day YouTube video)
Jordan Clarkson during his visit to Renee's Kitchenette in New York (Screengrab from Off Day YouTube video)

NBA star Jordan Clarkson took some time away from the competitive league and dove right through the bustling streets of New York City to find pockets of Filipino culture and celebrate his heritage.

Clarkson starred in an episode of Off Day —  produced by American multi-media platform company Uninterrupted which was founded by LeBron James — as they go around the Big Apple for a taste of Filipino culture.

In the episode, Clarkson honored his Filipino heritage by enjoying himself inside a Filipino-owned art gallery in Chelsea and indulging in Filipino flavors through Philippine cuisine spots within the city.

“My grandma was from the Philippines. I came into the league, learning about my own culture, my own people,” said Clarkson. “Filipinos are the happiest people I've ever been around and met.”

The 33-year-old New York Knicks guard also revealed his love for Filipino dishes like kare-kare, sisig, adobo and lumpia.

“(Lumpia) is untouchable. That’s elite,” Clarkson even commented.

He actually had two of Lumpia’s variations — the lumpiang Shanghai and Lumpiang sariwa -- and other Filipino dishes during his visit at Renee’s Kitchenette in Little Manila in Woodside, Queens. 

The former NBA Sixth Man of the Year winner also had his favorite Halo-Halo at Kape’t Torta — a Filipino-style bakery in Elmhurst.

“It’s pretty dope to be able to eat some of that,” said Clarkson talking about being able to eat Filipino food growing up.

“It’s super important to carry my grandma, my mom, my little brothers, my little sisters, my daughter to know that she has some Filipino in her as well. That this is celebrated and a culture that we are a part of,” he added.

Of course, immersing himself in Filipino culture within New York, Clarkson couldn’t help but recall Filipinos' love for basketball. The sport, for one, isn’t just something that they are passionate about but it's also ingrained deep into the culture.

“Just having the opportunity to represent the country was just amazing. Representing my family, my grandmother. Just very special,” Clarkson recalling his time with Gilas Pilipinas during the FIBA 2023 World Cup in Manila.

“You see a lot of Filipinos here. You see their love for the NBA and when guys go over there, it’s huge,” he added.

Related Tags

Jordan Clarkson NBA New York Knicks Gilas Pilipinas
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