The latest installment of Jason Cruz’s “Layup Drill” column highlights several major moments involving Asian and Asian American athletes across basketball, golf and baseball. The piece first focuses on the NBA Finals matchup between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks, where Dylan Harper and Jordan Clarkson are set to face each other on the sport’s biggest stage. Their presence in the Finals is notable for Filipino fans, since it guarantees that a Filipino American player will win an NBA championship for the first time. Harper, whose mother is Filipino American, said it is a blessing to represent the Philippines and praised Clarkson for doing the same. Harper, a second overall pick out of Rutgers, has averaged 11 points per game in the regular season and 13 points per game in the playoffs. Clarkson, now in his 12th NBA season, has played for the Lakers, Cavaliers, Jazz and Knicks, and has long embraced his Filipino fan base while also representing the Philippines in international competition. He averaged 9 points in 18 minutes per game off the bench during the regular season.
The column also covers Aaron Rai’s surprise victory at the PGA Championship in May at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. Rai, who was born and raised in England to a Kenyan-born mother and an Indian-born father, became the first golfer from England to win the PGA Championship since 1919. He is also only the second player of Indian heritage to win a men’s major championship, following Vijay Singh’s PGA Championship win in 2004. Rai began playing golf with plastic clubs as a child before moving to a full set at age 7. He competed in the U.S. Kids Golf World Championships for several years, turned professional at 17, and built his career through European regional circuits before moving to the United States. His PGA Championship win was considered a major upset, as his previous best professional victory had been the 2024 Wyndham Championship.
Finally, the article reports on Rikuu Nishida’s major league debut with the Chicago White Sox on May 25, 2026. Nishida, a 5-foot-6 outfielder from Japan, became the first Japanese-born and raised player to compete in NCAA Division I baseball in the United States and then reach Major League Baseball. After moving to the U.S. following high school, he played at Mt. Hood Community College and later for the Oregon Ducks before being selected by the White Sox in the 11th round of the 2023 MLB Draft. In his first game, Nishida made an immediate impression by throwing out a baserunner at home plate. His energy and personality quickly won over fans in Chicago, and he joked after the game about wanting to change the number 51, which he said felt heavy because of its connection to the legendary Ichiro Suzuki.
