4 Things to Know About FilAm NBA PLayer Jalen Green
The National Basketball League (NBA) is truly the Hollywood of the sports world. How many times have you heard rappers and musicians reference marquee basketball players and even showcase their skills in the celebrity all star game. Not only that, we get to see all the latest fashion trends off the court that make headlines daily. More often than other sports, courtside basketball games are filled with celebrities, royalty, and some of the most influential people in the world. So what would happen if a Filipino became the face of the NBA and had all the limelight and attention? Well, we might not have to wait much longer because sophomore Jalen Green has been making a strong campaign as to why he could be the next big thing in professional basketball. In honor of him wearing #4 on his jersey, let’s get you ready for the rising sun of the NBA with 4 facts that you didn’t know about Jalen Green.
Photo Courtesy of the Houston Rockets
1. He Is Very Proud Of His Filipino Descent
Jalen Romande Green is very vocal about how proud he is to be Filipino. His mother Bree Purganan traces her lineage to Ilocos Sur. During a recent trip to Manila for the Adidas’ JG4 Manila Tour, Green expressed how much of a blessing it was to be in Manila and feel the love and support from his fellow Filipinos. After his monumental night of being drafted by the Houston Rockets (July 29th 2021), Green expressed his delight and stated “I'm always excited to represent the Philippines. So, the fact that there's ties in Houston it's kind of like it was scripted” which he shortly followed with "So, I'm excited to take that out there and just represent and put on for the Philippines and can't wait to meet everybody and see the fans. It's going to be exciting,"
2. He Was Ranked As The #1 High School Shooting Guard In 2020
Coming out of high school, Jalen Green received one of the highest accolades by receiving a five star rating on his scouting reports, regarded as the number on shooting guard overall, and one of the top of his class by ESPN. As early as the age of 15, Green’s talent was highly touted and had received as many as 15 college scholarships at such a young age. During his Freshman year of highschool, Green averaged 18.1 points and 9 rebounds which helped him earn the title of CIF Central Section rookie of the year award and was named to the MaxPreps Freshman All-American second team. However the awards didn’t stop there, in his Sophomore year, Green was named USA Today All-USA California second team and won the MaxPreps National Sophomore of the Year award with averages of 27.9 points and 7.7 rebounds. It keeps going though, during his Junior year at San Joaquin Memorial High School, Green brought a 2nd Central Division II championship to San Joaquin and lead his team to the quarterfinal of the CIF Northern California Division I and ending his 3rd year by being named yet again to MaxPreps All-American and All-USA second teams. He also was named the USA Today All-USA California player of the year.
3. Has Won Multiple Gold Medals For The U.S.
Jalen Green won his first gold for the USA as a part of the 2017 International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Unders-16 (U16) Americas Championship, defeating Canada with a whopping 111 to Canada's 60. He played alongside future NBA stars Jalen Suggs, Isaiah Todd, James Wiseman, and Wendell Moore Jr. In the following year, 2018, Jalen Green was awarded MVP for his performance during the FIBA U17 World Cup in Argentina, defeating France 95 to 52. Lastly, his trifecta of gold medals was attained in 2019 during the FIBA U19 world cup in Greece, defeating Mali 93 to 79. His most notable teammates on that team were Cade Cunningham, Tyrese Haliburton, Jalen Suggs, and Evan Mobley.
4. Jalen Green Had A Historic Rookie Season
Jalen Green was drafted as the overall number 2 pick to the Houston Rockets. With such high expectations to live up to, we can say he most certainly did not disappoint. He has become the most recent rookie since Allen Iverson’s 1997 campaign to average 30 points in 4 straight games, also pouring in 29 three pointers during that 5 span game which is the record for most 3 pointers made by a rookie in a 5 span game according to ESPN. However, it doesn’t stop with his offense that was given a rating of 104.5, he excelled on both ends of the court finishing his rookie season with a defensive rating of 124.5. For anyone who doesn’t understand the metrics and ratings, the math adds up that Jalen Green is very very good at what he does and needless to say, he is settling in just fine with the big boys. During an interview with SPIN.ph, Green goes on record to credit his defensive prowess to his mother during his childhood by saying "I picked a ball up at a super young age. I used to go outside to play with my mom, she was a hooper, she used to be a lockdown defender," and jokingly added that his mother would “school him” all the way to the ninth grade.
Although the 2023 NBA season for Jalen Green has come to an end with the Houston Rockets failing to reach the playoffs, he really finished the season with the perfect cliffhanger by scoring a career high of 41 points in his final game of the season. Is this a precursor to what’s to come in 2024? Will the next Michael Jordan be Illocano? I sure hope so because the stage has been set and the viewers are ready to see more Jalen Green carve his name into the NBA Hall of Fame.
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