Jordan Clarkson Thinks Only One Other Knick Can Compete With His Drip

When I walked into Hudson Yards to meet Jordan Clarkson, he’s sitting patiently on a green velvet couch, a dapper portrait of contentment. And why wouldn’t he be? Clarkson just won an NBA Championship with the New York Knicks. Plus, he’s wearing Thom Browne.New York Fashion Week is all about bringing the extraordinary to a city that is its own fashion mood board. And on the short list of NBA players with the best fits in the game, Clarkson ranks near the top. He’s a tunnel superstar: the kind of guy who gets “ooh’d” and “aaah’d” while walking into the arena before a big game, inspiring devotion for more than just his wildly untamed style of play.Taking on a selfless bench role for the 2025-2026 Knicks, Clarkson helped bring an NBA title to a starving fanbase. And by fitting his game to the team’s needs, he’s become a folk hero in a city that really loves its basketball, almost as much as it loves fashion. It was fitting, then, that we got a few minutes with this month’s GQ Philippines cover star en route to the Thom Browne show to talk A Boogie, his newly permanent grills, and rejoining his Knicks family at training camp in two weeks.How, exactly, have you become someone who's a fixture at New York Fashion Week?I think organically, honestly, it's just been part of my DNA and what I do. So just hooping and being in the light kind of just pushed me a little more. I always have motion, so it's just a regular day for me.When did you first start to get into fashion? Was it when you were a teenager? When you got picked in the draft?Probably when I was in middle school. I started just doing different things, trying different things out to make my look different.One of the coolest things about this Knicks team is how cosmopolitan you all are. It feels like you guys hit every demographic, every type of player, every type of cool that there is. What does it mean to be a part of a team like that?I mean, it's great. I think it represents New York in a lot of ways in terms of different cultures, like you said, different people from different heritages coming together as one. I think the best thing about our championship was all of us coming together, sacrificing and getting the job done.Who on the team can fuck with you fashion-wise?OG [Anunoby].One thing that I associate you with is individuality. You're so punk rock on the basketball court, a show-stopping bucket-getter, and that's what I've always respected about your game. But I'm curious, how have you had to soften that a little bit to play a more specific role in this Knicks team over the past year?I mean, it's still the same grit and grind, just a different way. I definitely was used to putting the ball in the basket, but that wasn't what we needed as a team. We needed defense, we needed rebounding, just trying to find work wherever possible. So I just became one of those hardhat dudes that just wanted to impact the game and impact winning.Were you shocked when you came to New York by just how rabid the fanbase is, how connected this team is to the city?No, I kind of understood it, but now we connected and cemented in a whole different way, man. Winning a championship after 53 years, it's just something special and historic that we've done. So I definitely feel the love, feel the energy. And the New York summer has just been amazing. Best city in the world.There was a big hip-hop faction at the parade. How connected do you feel to that world, being such a fashion guy yourself?I mean, it's big time. A lot to do with our culture. I had A Boogie on my float, so that's my guy.“Say A” is my favorite song. I love that song.Oh, yeah, just feeling the love. Everybody's proud to be from New York and proud to be a part of the history of New York.Do you ever pinch yourself? What's your mindset these days?I mean, just wake up, grind. It's the same mode I've always been in. The championship and all that stuff, we kind of put that behind us right now. I mean, we’re going to probably look at it when we get older and really feel what we did. But at this moment in time, we just kind of just looking for the next one.Nolan ZangasCamp is starting in two weeks, man. How excited are you?Excited, bro. Super excited. We got another job to do.How was being on the cover of GQ Philippines? You're an Afro-Filipino yourself.Super dope. And the first issue for the Philippines, that was super cool. Had a bunch of cool brands that I picked from during the shoot—Thom Browne was one of them. So we got a lot of great shots and I'm just proud to be Filipino and proud to be on that GQ cover.What about Thom Browne excites you?I think he sticks to his authentic look always. You know what it is when you see it.I like how everybody wearing him looks a little similar, too, you know what I mean?Exactly. It's like an army.Well, you got some grills in your teeth. They look fantastic. What look were you going for today?I just got them. I'm from Texas, we usually wear that kind of stuff. So I've been wearing grills since I was little and now I just wanted them to be permanent.Nolan Zangas