Houston Rockets rookie Jalen Green is soaking in his first NBA All-Star Weekend experience.
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft was chosen to participate in the Clorox Rising Stars Challenge and the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest in the midseason festivities.
"It's exciting seeing everybody here. This is one of my goals coming into the league," he said during the Clorox Rising Stars media availability on Saturday (PHT).
"I feel accomplished because I got to this weekend. This is one of the most important weekends of my career, and hopefully more to come. Hopefully, this won't be my last time being around this."
Green was part of Team Worthy in the Clorox Rising Stars. His scoring prowess and athleticism were on display as he scored 20 points in the loss to Team Isiah.
Most fans, though, are looking forward to seeing Green strut his wares in the dunk contest. The Filipino-American will be competing against Obi Toppin, Juan Toscano-Anderson, and Cole Anthony.
"I'm pretty excited for the Dunk Contest. It's gonna be exciting. There's a lot of talented dunkers in the Dunk Contest so it's gonna be fun," he said.
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Green didn't give any hints on what kind of dunks he'll attempt in the competition but he said he did some research by watching past editions of the Dunk Contest.
"I watched a lot of All-Star Games, Dunk Contests, and then all of the little clips that come on social media and stuff, too. There were some that I tried that I couldn’t attempt, but I for sure got a lot of inspiration from watching past Dunk Contests."
Green hopes to become the 15th rookie in All-Star history to win the Slam Dunk Contest.
