Jordan Clarkson says Utah ‘a home for me’

Mar 12, 2026 7:26 PM

Jordan Clarkson faced his former team Wednesday when the Knicks met the Jazz, and although his role in New York has been smaller than in previous stops, he said he was still excited about the opportunity and the “happiness and joy” that came with playing against the team where he once won Sixth Man of the Year, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post wrote.

Clarkson said he never arrived in New York expecting a specific role, noting that the Knicks were transparent about the situation when he joined the team.

“I ain’t coming in expecting anything, honestly,” Clarkson said. “A lot of people made expectations on my arrival and what I can do and what I’ve done my whole career. But not knowing anything, I came here with an open canvas. I just knew one goal and what we wanted to do, and that’s to win.”

He also spoke warmly about his time with Utah, emphasizing that he still feels a strong connection to the organization and the city.

“That’s a home for me. I loved the organization. I love the coaching staff. Yeah, I love the city. All I had was love there,” he said. “… I’m going to try to keep my cool in terms of not feeling [emotional], just all the gratitude and everything that the city is giving me.”

Clarkson recently discussed another goal as well, telling Mark Medina of Essentially Sports that he hopes to lead Team Philippines at this summer’s Asia Cup. He said the disappointment of not reaching the Olympics previously remains a strong motivator.

“For us and for me, not making the Olympics and not fully accomplishing what we want to accomplish in the World Cup,” he said, of what was driving him. “Reaching the goal of having a chance to make the Olympics, I think, is a big thing for me and to represent the country.”

Clarkson believes the Filipino national team has the talent to compete for an Olympic spot and said success will depend on building the right chemistry.

“We just got to figure out how to mesh the guys together and play the right combinations and figure it out from there,” he said. “We got a lot of talent on the team, from older dudes to younger dudes as well. Hopefully, they let me play as a naturalized player and give me some leeway on things so we can continue to get more talent and we stay loaded.”