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Jalen Green, Jordan Clarkson face off at Filipino Heritage Night

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Cheryl Piccio | TFC News Houston

<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qDIe1dORnWE?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>Closing out Filipino American History Month, the city of Houston once again saw the exciting on court match-up of the Houston Rockets&#x27; Jalen Green and Jordan Clarkson of the Utah Jazz.The two NBA stars held a rematch of their historic meeting in 2021, anchoring the annual Filipino Heritage Night event in Houston. It has become an annual event, with Filipino Heritage nights increasingly being held across the NBA.According to the Rockets, attendance for the special night has tripled from last season. Green could not help but express his gratitude for the support of his kababayans in Houston.&quot;It means a lot. It means the world to see all my Filipinos coming out to support me. I&#x27;ve gotten some of the same love and support since I was a sophomore in high school so I couldn’t ask for more. I really appreciate you all,&quot; he said.Green has become a wildly popular celebrity with Filipinos since his high school days.Together with his mother Bree Purganan, he traveled to the Philippines in August for his JG4 Manila Tour with Adidas. It was the first time Green traveled to the country since reaching the NBA. He also got to visit the home province of his grandparents in Vigan, Ilocos Sur.Houston Fil-Ams are overjoyed with the success and popularity Green is achieving early on.&quot;It’s really cool to see that people embrace him and treat him like a rock star, like an idol. It&#x27;s nice for someone to unite the people that way,&quot; dance superstar and choreographer Brian Puspos said.Last season, Green and Clarkson were the first players with Filipino roots to compete against one another in an NBA game, making their rematch on Monday a natural for the Rockets&#x27; Filipino Heritage Night.Green finished the game with 25 points, leading the Rockets to a 114-108 win against the Jazz.Green was not the only Filipino honored that night, as Filipino American service members and long-standing Filipino community leaders were likewise given special recognition by the Rockets. The recipients of the Community Heroes Award included Dely De Guia Cruz, Eufemia Sudario Chua, Alfredo and Teresita Bartolome, and Ben Ongoco.With the rising wave of Filipino American support, Miami Heat FIl-Am coach Erik Spoelstra said last season that he hoped to organize an event with Clarkson, Green, and perhaps other NBA players in Manila.

Houston once again saw Fil-Am NBA stars Jalen Green and Jordan Clarkson battle on the court at the annual Filipino Heritage Night in the city.