As the country continues to wait for a full-blooded Filipino player to break into the NBA, local fans have remained steadfast in throwing their support for players with Filipino roots who continue to carry the nation’s hopes in the world’s premier basketball league.

Leading that group are Jordan Clarkson, Jalen Green, Dylan Harper, and Jared McCain -- names that have become closely followed by Filipino basketball fans because of their strong ties to the Philippines. Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra also remains a source of pride for the Filipino basketball community.

This season, however, carries even greater significance. Clarkson, Harper, and McCain, along with their respective teams, are still in the hunt in the NBA’s Final Four, giving Filipino fans a historic possibility to look forward to. If the pieces fall into place from the conference finals to the championship round, one of them could become the first player with Filipino roots to capture an NBA title as a player.

As a coach, Spoelstra already achieved the feat twice, steering the Miami Heat to back-to-back NBA championships in 2012 and 2013 behind the star-studded core of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Clarkson, the oldest of the trio at 33, was a playoff veteran who played alongside the late Kobe Bryant during his rookie year with the Los Angeles Lakers before joining the Cleveland Cavaliers. His adaptability made him a reliable reinforcer for any team he played in, resulting in his Sixth Man of the Year award in 2021.

He then joined the Utah Jazz, competing there for almost six years before he agreed for a buyout that followed by his signing with the New York Knicks.

There, the 6-foot-5 sweet-shooting guard played a key role, adjusting to the guard-rich Knicks that were bannered by Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Landry Shamet.

Clarkson, whose roots are from Pampanga, is a national team mainstay and previously helped the Philippines in the country’s hosting of the 2023 FIBA World Cup. His continued effort and cheer made him the closest to Filipino fans – perhaps sitting next to Justin Brownlee – and he already did an unprecedented feat after winning the NBA Cup this season.

As New York edged the Cleveland Cavaliers in the opener of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals series, Clarkson got closer to etching his name in Philippine annals of greats.

Apart from Clarkson, Dylan -- the 20-year-old son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper and former collegiate player Maria Harper, who traces her roots to Bataan -- is also on the verge of carving out a historic milestone for Philippine basketball as he continues his impressive rookie campaign with the San Antonio Spurs.

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft has quickly emerged as one of the league’s brightest young stars, forming a dangerous tandem with versatile French phenom Victor Wembanyama. Harper wasted no time making his mark in the Western Conference Finals, helping the Spurs draw first blood against defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder with a thrilling 122-115 double-overtime victory in Game 1.

Aside from brewing rivalry between the Spurs and the Thunder, it also featured a special showdown of two Filipino-Americans Harper and McCain, who disclosed his Filipino roots through his mother’s side.

McCain answered back for the Thunder, anchoring the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-led crew to a Game 2 victory, 122-113, to level the series at 1-1.

Both remain young and talented pieces who could become even bigger parts of their respective franchises in the years to come. But if the two rising stars, along with seasoned veteran Jordan Clarkson, manage to survive the grind of the playoffs while the Cavaliers fall out of contention, one of them could make history for their respective teams and for the country as the first Filipino-American player to hoist an NBA championship trophy.