MANILA (Philippines) - If only the walls of SMART Araneta Coliseum could talk, among the countless stories it would tell, no question, was the night Jordan Clarkson unleashed his finest performance with the Philippines.
As if he personified the famous 'Thrilla in Manila' banner hanging in the rafters of the Big Dome, the NBA star made September 2, 2023 as his present to this basketball-crazy nation by delivering in a game so crucial.
Clarkson fired 34 points to power Gilas Pilipinas to a 92-73 beatdown of China in the Classification Rounds 17-32, giving themselves their first and lone win of the highly successful FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.
Witnessed by an 11,080-strong crowd, what many will definitely remember from that match between long-time rivals was his third-quarter explosion, which set the tone for the rout after a tightly contested first half.
There, 'JC' as what his brothers-in-arms call him, unloaded 24 big points, highlighted by four consecutive three-pointers as he starred in a sizzling 30-3 barrage to finish the said period with a commanding 73-51 lead.
The Utah Jazz guard went on to finish with a quintet of triples and shot 11-of-18 from the field overall, and also collected a pair of rebounds, a troika of assists, plus a steal in 33 minutes, ultimately netting an efficiency of 29.
Maybe, it was personal for Clarkson himself.
The one-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year made his Gilas debut during the 2018 Asian Games, particularly with a meeting against Team Dragon. Unfortunately, they fell short in the end, bowing to an 82-80 decision.
In that clash, Clarkson also turned it up in the third, pouring 16 of his 28 points to lead a rally from 12 down. He eventually finished the night with five treys, alongside 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals.
Six years later and he finally got a measure of revenge with a scintillating showing, and did so in a game that had so much at stake as it was a must-win situation not just for the Philippines but for the Chinese, too.
Because a ticket to the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments was up for grabs, which the Filipino dribblers clinched - and in convincing fashion, too, raising as well the country's all-time mark against China to 10-6.
Yet, the said victory felt more important than what Gilas accomplished on that very night. Since that monumental triumph, major changes had followed within the esteemed program - for its betterment, of course.
It actually turned out to be a graceful exit for Chot Reyes, who would eventually be replaced by Tim Cone, who served as one of his assistants from midway into the 2023 World Cup Qualifiers to the tournament proper.
There was actually a running joke within the Gilas brethren that whoever coaches the men's team for the Asian Games late in that year would have a hard time as they could face a vengeful China side in Hangzhou.
It turned out to be Cone, who indeed coached against China during the Asiad Semi-Finals and even found themselves trailing by a big margin until his wards pulled off a miraculous comeback for the 77-76 win.
The Philippines would go on to win gold, beating practically the same Jordan team from the World Cup - with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Freddy Ibrahim - in the Final, 70-60, and end a 60-year title drought in the tilt.
It would mark a string of successes for Gilas since. Months after that magical Asian Games, the crew shocked the world in the FIBA OQT-Riga, first by stunning hosts and then-world no. 6 Latvia by way of an 89-80 result.
After nearly upsetting Georgia, they marched on to the Semi-Finals before losing to eventual champions Brazil. Still, there was no reason to hang their heads low as it was the country's best finish in the OQT to date.
Gilas would also author history in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers, specifically during Window 2 last November at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay - the same place where they attained that 'golden silver' in 2013.
Before an electric home crowd, the Philippines finally took down New Zealand after four failed attempts in the past through a pulsating 93-89 victory, doing so in the very venue where that winless losing skid began.
For sure, there's still more that this team would want to achieve moving forward but whatever they have accomplished so far could be traced back to that one night in September some 21 months ago.
Because Clarkson not only prevented Gilas from becoming winless in that World Cup. If anything, he and that showing of his was a beacon of hope, that things could get better for a program that once struggled.
There's always light even in the darkest of nights, as they say. And maybe, it could get even brighter.
Who knows, right?
FIBA