MANILA, Philippines -- Filipino-American guard Jordan Clarkson made a public show of support for embattled Gilas Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes, who was heavily booed during their game against Saudi Arabia on Monday.

Gilas Pilipinas recovered from a lethargic start and eventually crushed Saudi Arabia, 84-46, in their second game of the fourth window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

But the triumphant result couldn't take attention away from Filipinos' frosty response to Reyes, who has been under fire ever since he took over as head coach of Gilas Pilipinas in February. Clarkson alluded to the crowd's reaction in his post-game message for the fans.

"[I] appreciate everybody. We getting something started here. Support us, support our team, support our coaching staff, everybody. We're building something special, so let's get it," said Clarkson, who had 23 points in the win.

• READ: Clarkson-powered Gilas bucks slow start in rout of Saudi Arabia

In his post-game press conference, Clarkson doubled down on his statement, saying that Reyes did not deserve the vitriol thrown at him both online and in person by the Gilas fans.

"He's part of us. He's one of us. And hearing boos in the crowd, whatever is going on… I’m not here a lot throughout the years so I don’t really know what’s going on but seeing these last days, it's kind of been some bullshit," said Clarkson.

"Excuse my language, I don't know if I can get fined by FIBA for cussing. But yeah, he's our coach. He's one of us. He works hard. He put us all together," he added.

Clarkson pointed out that Reyes had already walked away from the national team before; Reyes resigned in the wake of the Gilas-Australia brawl in July 2018 but was re-appointed to the post in February 2022 when Tab Baldwin stepped down.

For the Utah Jazz guard, this means that Reyes "ain't gotta deal with none of this shit."

• READ: Chot Reyes booed by home crowd at Gilas game

"He ain't gotta deal with none of the threats people give to his family. He’s coming back to this game 'cause he loves it. He loves the country. He loves this team and each and everyone of us," he added.

Rather than criticize Reyes, Clarkson called on fans to express their support, especially with less than a year to go before the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023. The Filipino-American guard believes that they have something special brewing with Gilas, and he considers Reyes the right man for the job.

"This World Cup, we gotta have each other’s backs. Support each other going through this. That’s all I got to say about that. I’m here with my coach. I know everybody in the locker room is, from the top," he said.

"Moving forward, I think we need to change our actions and show some love and peace here," he added.

The relationship between Clarkson and Reyes runs deep; Clarkson recalled that Reyes had approached him a decade ago about playing for the Philippines, when he was still in college. That he is now playing for Gilas Pilipinas -- together with the likes of Kai Sotto and Dwight Ramos -- shows that Reyes' vision is working.

"Honestly, this is all been a blessing and for somebody that's getting rocks thrown at him, who’s putting this together, bringing me and Kai [to the team]," said Clarkson. "I think we all just support him and support what we got going on."

Clarkson was not the only Gilas player to express support for Reyes. Ramos, asked for a message to fans after the game, said: "Thank you for coming out and supporting us, but if you're gonna support us, I'll appreciate you guys not booing our coach. We're all together as one and I really didn't appreciate that. It wasn't a good way for us to start the game. So if you're gonna support us, please support all of us cause we're all in one team."

Reyes was clearly touched by Clarkson's statement, with the coach grabbing the player's shoulder in a show of gratitude while the Jazz guard was talking. Afterward, Reyes again stressed that he remains the Gilas coach out of a sense of responsibility and service for the country.

"I’m sure you know how many haters I have, I know that there are also supporters. Maybe not as vocal, maybe not as noisy. But as long as I can inspire one or two individuals, then it is all good and as long as we have the players together in that locker room," he said.

Reyes also made it clear that he is willing to accept the boos, the criticism and the hate, as long as his players are spared.

"Boo-hin niyo na ako nang todo, wag niyo lang boo-hin yung mga players. Suportahan niyo lang yung mga players. That is fine with me," he said.

"Murahin niyo na ako, bash niyo na ako nang todo. Basta suportahan niyo yung team, suportahan niyo yung players."

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