Photo Essay by James Yee, AsAmNews Contributor
Filipino players are a rare presence at the highest levels of competitive basketball.
Jordan Clarkson is making a name for himself coming off the bench for the Utah Jazz. The 6’4″ shooting guard is considered one of the best sixth men in the NBA.
Jalen Green is averaging 15 points a game for the Houston Rockets in his rookie season. The 6′ 4″ shooting guard could be a cornerstone for his rebuilding team.
In division 1 basketball, Christian David from Canada is a steadying force off the bench for the Butler Bulldogs. The fifth-year senior is known as a defensive specialist.
I’ve been an Indianapolis Metro resident photographing for the A.P., The Topics Newspapers, Noblesville Ledger, and the Indianapolis Star since 1998. I have covered lots of high school sports where there were not many high school Asian athletes playing sports or playing at an NCAA Division 1 college.
I figured this was a chance to photograph Butler Christian David as one of the few Asian athletes competing at the highest collegiate level.
Butler University’s Christian David is a Canadian – Filipino, forward, 6ft 6in, 220 lbs, and on schedule to graduate with a Marketing and International Business Major in May 2022.
David was the No. 1 ranked high school Canadian prospect in 2017 class by North Pole Hoops (NPH).
The road to play at Butler was not without bumps. David had a knee injury during his junior season at Vermont Academy. He tore his ACL on Jan. 21, 2020 against Villanova. After his rehabilitation from his ACL injury, David returned to action against Xavier on Jan. 20, 2021.
One of his highlights playing for Butler basketball was hitting the game-winning 3 point basket at St. John on Dec. 31, 2019.
David is not one of the starters but will come into the game and use his defensive skills on his opponent.
David has a sister and brother and is the youngest of the three kids.
David parent gave him support and positive feedback for his decision to play basketball.
Leaving home was one of the biggest basketball decisions he made after his sophomore year at Bishop P. F. Reding Catholic Secondary School in Milton, Ontario, Canada. He then transferred to Vermont Academy, Saxtons River, Vermont playing on its basketball team. David said the competition at Vermont Academy could compare to playing at a collegiate level and greatly helped his growth as a basketball player.
David’s parents supported his decision to play basketball. David said he will discuss with his parent after the end of this year’s basketball season about possibly trying out for the NBA.
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