If you’re an Asian American basketball fan, there are two Asian American players to watch in the NBA playoffs.
Jalen Green
Jalen Green is a Filipino American shooting guard for the Houston Rockets. He grew up in Fresno, California and was being heavily recruited by several colleges. He instead chose to play in the G-League.
In 2021, he was drafted by the Rockets. He made the NBA All-Rookie First Team for the 2021/22 season. This season, according to stats from ESPN, he averaged 21 points, 3.4 assists and 4.6 rebounds.
Green is proud of his Filipino heritage. At the beginning of the year, he participated in a Tagalog challenge with NBA Philippines on TikTok.
Green and the Rockets will face the Warriors this Sunday in a win-or-go-home game 7.
Jaylin Williams
Jaylin Williams is a Vietnamese American forward for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He is the first Vietnamese American player in the NBA.
The 22-year-old was drafted in 2022, the same year another player named Jalen Williams was also drafted to the Thunder.
This season, according to ESPN, played an average of 16.7 minutes for the Thunder. He also finished in 9th place overall for Teammate of the Year, Yahoo Sports reports.
The Thunder cruised through the first round of the playoffs, sweeping the Memphis Grizzlies 4-0. They now await the result of the Denver Nuggets/Los Angeles Clippers series to see who they will face in the next round.
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