Jalen Green made history as the NBA’s highest-drafted Asian American player in the league as well as being the third athlete of Filipino descent to make it to the NBA.
Houston selected the NBA G-League Ignite alum second overall in the 2021 NBA Draft as it hopes to bounce back from a disappointing campaign in the 2020-21 season.
The Fil-American Green, a highly-touted prospect since high school, will boost a Rockets team that has largely dealt with injuries throughout the year.
The Houston Rockets general manager, Rafael Stone, referred to Green as a "transcendent athlete" and an "extraordinarily exciting prospect."
The Rockets had a turbulent season first with the brouhaha surrounding James Harden and the injuries to John Wall and big man Christian Wood, who was an early frontrunner for Most Improved Player of the Year.
An accomplished juniors career, Green represented the United States in international competitions and complied gold medals in the Fiba U17 and U19 World Cups in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
Green, the son of a Filipino-American mother, then joined the Ignite team which paved the way for other high school prospects to forego the collegiate route including Jonathan Kuminga, Daishen Nix, and Isaiah Todd.
NBA Sixth Man of the Year Jordan Clarkson and former Golden State Warrior Raymond Townsend are the other two NBA players with Filipino heritage.
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