NBA dream realized. Fresno-area’s Jalen Green drafted 2nd overall by the Houston Rockets
Former Fresno prep basketball star Jalen Green was taken second overall by the Houston Rockets in the NBA draft.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver made the announcement Thursday evening during the draft at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Cade Cunningham was taken by the Detroit Pistons with the top overall pick.
Minutes after Green was selected, Rockets general manager Rafael Stone called him and welcomed him to the organization.
“Man! Oh my God,” Green said over the telephone to Stone. “I can’t wait to get to work. I appreciate you guys.”
Green, 19, is the highest drafted player from the Fresno area since Brook Lopez was selected 10th overall by the Brooklyn Nets in 2008.
Former Fresno State standout Paul George of Palmdale was taken by the Indiana Pacers with the 10th pick in the 2010 draft.
In announcing the pick, Silver introduced Green as from Merced, where he was born and lived in the Atwater-Livingston area until his family moved to Fresno when Green was 9.
Green played three seasons at San Joaquin Memorial High before finishing at Prolific Prep in the Napa Valley. Then he skipped college to play last season in the NBA G League.
He set a school record at Memorial by scoring 2,350 career points from 2017-19 and was sixth-best in Central Section history, according to section historian Bob Barnett. Green led the Panthers to back-to-back section titles. He finished with 3,358 career points.
Memorial coach Brad Roznovsky made the trip to Brooklyn to cheer on his former star player.
“So happy for Jalen,” he said. “He earned this. He’s such a humble kid and he will do great things, I promise.”
At the San Joaquin Memorial cafeteria, players, cheerleaders and staff gathered to watch as Green’s name was called by Silver.
Among those at the local watch party was Panthers assistant Frank Herrera.
“It’s amazing for, really, everybody,” he said. “I mean, Jalen, especially. You have to give kudos to him, He has been working his tail off since at least the seventh grade over at Rio Vista Middle School, asking anybody and everybody to see if he can get in the gym to work out. Even when we had him here in high school at Memorial he’s always trying to get in early mornings.
“He’s going to be an icon and especially in the 559, but not just here it’s everywhere. He’s done it here. He’s done it up in Fresno. He did it in the Philippines when he went out there to help them out. In L.A. Everywhere he has gone he has always left his fingerprints there. We’re extremely proud of him and it’s a blessing for us to be a part of it.”
In Houston, Green joins a lineup anchored by veterans John Wall, Eric Gordon and Avery Bradley. The Rockets later selected Green’s AAU teammate Josh Christopher in the first round.
After playing at Prolific Prep, Green joined the G League Ignite and was coached by former NBA player Brian Shaw.
“He has an ability to slash and finish through contact,” Shaw said on NBA TV. “He has range beyond the 3-point line. He has great mid-range because he can get to his spot and raise up and knock it down. There’s really no weakness in terms of his offensive game. He got better as the season progressed in terms of setting up his teammates when the attention was all on him and was a willing passer as well. The sky’s the limit for him. His work ethic and mentality and his footwork that he has is impeccable for a guy at his age.
“He will absolutely be a star in the NBA. I believe he’ll be the Rookie of the Year because I think he’ll score 20 points a game for this team and give the fans unbelievable highlights as he gets out in transition.”
This story was originally published July 29, 2021 at 5:17 PM.
