Rockets Rookie Jalen Green Joins East Asia Super League as Ambassador
HOUSTON — Houston Rockets' Jalen Green spent the majority of his rookie season advocating his heritage. Green has a background of Filipino descent — with his mother and grandfather from the Philippines.
To continue his dedication to enhancing the basketball adoration throughout his culture, Green is joining the East Asia Super League as a new ambassador, per The Stein Line.
Green is one of two players of Filipino descent in the NBA. The other is Utah Jazz's guard Jordan Clarkson. On Oct. 28, Clarkson and Green made history by becoming the first players of Filipino descent to play in the same game. The Rockets sustained a 122-91 loss to the Jazz, Green scored 13 points in the home loss. Clarkson scored 16 points for Utah.
Raymond Townsend became the first Filipino American to play in the NBA. He began his pro career with the Golden State Warriors in 1978 and joined the Indiana Pacers three years later.
"It’s an amazing experience because this is something that can never be done again because we were the first," Clarkson said following the Jazz's blowout victory. "Hopefully, we will see more around the league."
Green received All-Rookie First Team honors following an impressive freshman season in the league. He appeared in 67 games and averaged 17.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists.
Green ranked second among rookies in scoring and was 0.14 ppg shy of the lead. Green hit 157 3-pointers, which is tied for the fourth-most through the first 67 games played by any player in NBA history.
During the final nine games of the regular season, Green averaged 28.1 points on 48.6/42.7/77.3 shooting splits.
