JAKARTA - If you're wondering where Jordan Clarkson got his athleticism and love of sports, look no further than his father, 56-year-old Mike.
Mike Clarkson, who flew into town Saturday morning in time to watch his son be flag-bearer of the Philippine contingent in the opening ceremonies of the 18th Asian Games, has been involved in sports for over 30 years either as an athlete or a coach.
In an exclusive interview with ESPN5, Mike reveals he tried out for a slot on the U.S. Olympic boxing team for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Unfortunately, things did not go his way.
"I tried to make the 1984 Olympic team for the United States in Los Angeles," he said. "You just have one bad day and things just don't work out."
Competing in the welterweight division, Clarkson got eliminated early. "I was ranked 17th in the country. I had a bad couple of moments and it cost me early in the preliminaries. I tried, I did my best. But in a sport like boxing, you can have one bad day, and that's it. All those years of training will go down the drain."
He thought about turning professional, but ultimately decided against it. "I had broken my hand so many times that I just said it's not worth it. I'd rather keep my faculties and remain mentally sharp."
He doesn't regret it, especially after seeing his former boxing mentor's health decline in recent years.
"Roger Mayweather is a very good friend of mine," he revealed. "I knew Floyd since he was little. Roger helped me when I was a top amateur in the state of Nevada. He helped sharpen my tools and become better as an amateur. Now when I had the chance to visit Roger recently, in the last two years, he's really doing bad. His health has really deteriorated quickly. But Floyd takes care of him, of course. In fact, in hindsight, that's the reason why I got out. I didn't want to suffer. You know, not recalling things, getting Parkinson's disease."
His brush with the Olympics makes him appreciate son Jordan's achievement of not only representing the Philippines in an international competition of this magnitude, but being the country's flag bearer as well.
"I'm very proud," he said. "To see him to be able to come in to compete at this level, I don't have anything but a big smile on my face. Just to be on the team, just to be part of the contingent and to be able to compete in the Asian Games. And then you talk about being bestowed the honor of being the flag-bearer. I mean, Usain Bolt was the flag-bearer for Jamaica in the Olympics. So that just shows you the magnitude of that position and how it's held in such high esteem. So now, with Jordan being able to do it, I'll sit like everyone watching and just be proud of him. It's once-in-a-lifetime. You may forget about a basketball game, but you'll never forget about being a flag-bearer."
As everybody knows, this moment almost didn't happen. Mike reveals that he got the news through a call at 2:30 in the morning.
"If you're gonna wake me up, wake me up with good news. And that was good news. We were very elated, and everybody was really happy and it was a dream come true for Jordan. He's always wanted to don the colors of Gilas, and now he has the opportunity.
"As an athlete Jordan's always excelled in a lot of sports he participated in. And now you're talking about participating in the Asian Games and carrying the weight of a whole country. Their expectations are very high. I always taught him, no one's expectations should exceed the expectations you have of yourself. You can't disappoint yourself if you meet your own expectations."
The proud dad shared that Jordan, who was named after - who else - the NBA legend ("because I admired Michael's work ethic"), actually picked up basketball at the rather late age of 14. As a youngster growing up in San Antonio, he was more drawn to track and field. Mike says his son excelled in the sprint events, which explains his speed on NBA courts. "Jordan is extremely fast. 400 meters was his specialty in the track club that he was with. For three years straight, he swept the sprints: 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters."
But after he began tagging along to watch his younger brother compete all over the country in amateur tournaments, Jordan decided to drop the cleats and lace up the sneakers.
"He was behind," Mike says. "Jordan didn't really take up basketball seriously until he was in ninth grade."
To fast-track his basketball development, Mike approached an old friend who, years earlier, suited up for 7-UP and Shell in the PBA before making it briefly in the NBA.
"In order to be a good basketball player you gotta make sure you listen to a lot of people, get a lot of different information," Mike says. "Everyone looks at things differently. So I allowed him to have a lot of other individuals work with him, including one who is now the general manager now of the New Orleans Pelicans, Dell Demps."
Demps was then the director of pro player development for the San Antonio Spurs, and sometimes he brought young Jordan into the practice facility where as a wide-eyed kid he got to meet Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and the rest of the team.
Whatever Demps taught him, it must have worked. Jordan went on to star first at the University of Tulsa then at the University of Missouri. The Washington Wizards picked him with 46th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft before trading him to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he played for three-and-a-half seasons before being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers on February 8.
Now Jordan will make his debut in a Pilipinas uniform on August 21 against powerhouse China, and Mike will be in the stands to witness what he calls a "journey that was four years in the making". He is confident his son will rise to the challenge.
"I think the magnitude of the moment won't overtake him. He's really looking forward to going out there and competing at a high level and playing very well."
He will have his dad to thank for that.