Jordan Clarkson has found someone else to root for in New York.
Days after meeting Alex Eala at the US Open and bonding over their shared Filipino heritage, the New York Knicks guard celebrated the tennis star’s latest breakthrough with a simple post on X.
“Alex Eala! Let’s goooooooo,” Clarkson wrote on X after Eala defeated Mary Stoiana, 6-1, 6-2, at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
The message was brief, but Clarkson’s connection to Eala is not superficial. He has represented the Philippines internationally, understands the weight of carrying Filipino expectations, and has spent the past year redefining his own role in New York.
Jordan Clarkson Embraced Smaller Role With Knicks
Clarkson arrived in New York last summer after Utah bought out the final year of his contract.
That move required a significant adjustment.
In his final season with the Jazz, Clarkson averaged 16.2 points, 3.7 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 26.0 minutes per game. Over six seasons in Utah, he averaged 17.5 points in 28.2 minutes and won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award in 2020-21.
With the Knicks, his job became much smaller.
Clarkson signed for the veteran minimum, then averaged 8.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 17.8 minutes across 72 games, starting only once. He accepted fewer shots, fewer minutes and a reduced place in the rotation on a deeper team that ultimately won the NBA championship.
The Knicks rewarded that fit this summer by bringing him back on another one-year veteran-minimum deal worth $3.9 million.
For a former Sixth Man of the Year who had long been accustomed to being one of his team’s primary bench scorers, that transition was not insignificant.
Clarkson traded volume for a chance to contend — and it paid off with his first NBA title. He embraced a smaller role for the Knicks and New York embraced him back as a fan favorite.
Clarkson Has Been Following Eala’s Rise
That background gives a little more context to the encouragement he offered Eala.
When the two met during U.S. Open week, Clarkson spoke about what it means to represent the Philippines beyond one sport.
“When you got Filipino blood, you take the whole country with you,” Clarkson told her.
Eala has begun experiencing that in real time.
Her opening-round victory over Stoiana came before a heavily pro-Filipino crowd in Queens, with flags scattered throughout Louis Armstrong Stadium. Clarkson, meanwhile, has become part of that audience.
The two athletes occupy very different stages of their careers. Eala is still ascending, building a profile that has expanded well beyond tennis. Clarkson is 34 and has already shifted from high-volume scorer to veteran role player in pursuit of another championship.
Their common ground is the country watching them.
Clarkson spent years feeling that responsibility with the Philippine national team. Now, as Eala pushes deeper into one of tennis’ biggest tournaments in the same city where Clarkson plays, he has become one of the louder voices cheering her on.
For a Knicks guard who already learned how much can change when a player accepts a different role, there was something fitting about the message.
Keep going.
Knicks’ Jordan Clarkson Sends 4-Word Message to Alex Eala After US Open Win