When the Philippines host the 2023 FIBA World Cup, former Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson will be expected to carry a heavy load. Even if the now-Utah Jazz guard is up to the challenge, getting the home team to the playoffs will likely require him to unleash his inner Kobe Bryant.

Clarkson, in commemoration of the Black Mamba’s entry into the FIBA World Cup on what would have been Bryant’s birthday, got a tattoo of the Lakers legend’s number around his knee/thigh area.

ClutchPoints Twitter reports (from the official FIBA page):

Being around [Kobe Bryant] when I was younger meant a lot. Unquestionably the best. Someone I picked up a ton of knowledge and insight from. He is very important to me and, you know, basketball in general. Clarkson emphasized, “Period.”

Very few NBA players have been able to share the court with Kobe Bryant, arguably the best player in Lakers history. But it’s clear that Jordan Clarkson, one of the few active players to meet the Black Mamba, has internalized everything he’s taught from him.

However, he will have to do more than just score goals for a Philippines team that has a tough road ahead of it if it hopes to get out of the group stage, much like Kobe Bryant did in the middle of the 2000s. They’ll be up against the Dominican Republic, who will have Karl-Anthony Towns on their roster, Italy, whose sharpshooters are led by NBA veterans Nicolo Melli and Simone Fontecchio, and Angola, whose roster include current Atlanta Hawks center Bruno Fernando.

Jordan Clarkson has his job cut out for him, but he’s not the type of player to back down from a figҺt (much like Kobe Bryant). And who knows, maybe the hosts will surprise everyone by going places they’ve never gone before. You should never doubt a team until they’ve proven themselves on the court, as the Philippines national team has proven time and time again.