Jordan Clarkson

Clarkson is an American-Filipino guard who has built a productive NBA career as a scoring threat off the bench and a veteran rotation player since being drafted in the second round in 2014. He has played for the Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Utah Jazz, and New York Knicks, winning the Sixth Man of the Year award and an NBA championship.

Born Jordan Taylor Clarkson on June 7, 1992, in Tampa, Florida, he is the son of an African-American father and a Filipino-American mother. He moved to San Antonio around age six and attended Karen Wagner High School. As a senior, he averaged 18.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.1 steals and led his team to a 38-2 record. He signed with Tulsa for college basketball.

At Tulsa, Clarkson was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman team and averaged 11.5 points as a freshman. As a sophomore, he averaged 16.5 points and was named to the All-Conference USA first team. He transferred to Missouri and sat out a season before averaging 17.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists as a redshirt junior. He was named to the 2014 All-SEC second team and declared for the NBA draft.

The Washington Wizards selected Clarkson with the 46th overall pick in 2014 and traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2015. He later played for Cleveland and Utah, where he won the Sixth Man of the Year award in 2021. He also holds Filipino citizenship and has represented the Philippines internationally. In 2026, he won an NBA championship with the New York Knicks.

Clarkson is a score-first guard with a smooth shooting stroke, crafty finishing ability, and a willingness to create off the dribble. He thrives in isolation and pick-and-roll settings, using his handle to navigate screens and pull up from mid-range and three-point range. His scoring bursts off the bench have made him one of the most reliable sixth men in the league.

Clarkson enters each season as a veteran scorer with an NBA championship, a Sixth Man of the Year trophy, and international experience on his resume. His trajectory from a Tulsa freshman to a Missouri transfer, a second-round pick, and a championship-winning guard reflects adaptability and a commitment to scoring excellence at every level.