“I always had MJ posters and Jordans” - Houston Rockets guard says Michael Jordan was his favorite player as a kid, says he studied Kobe Bryant for his mentality
Jalen Green of the Houston Rockets was one of the best rookies last season, earning an All-Rookie First Team nod. Green was a guest on "The Bill Simmons Podcast," wherein he talked about idolizing Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
Simmons made headlines earlier this month when he cursed during an episode discussing the young Rockets star. The outspoken founder of The Ringer voiced his displeasure at the idea of Green being named in the All-Rookie First Team over Herb Jones of the New Orleans Pelicans. Simmons said:
"F**k Jalen Green. I don't care you're scoring 40 points and your team's 19-60. Congratulations. Herb Jones is like guarding dudes in real games.
"Now, the Houston people are going to be mad at me. I'm sorry, I like winning players. I'm sorry. Jalen Green will get there. It's just that team was 21-61 this year or whatever."
Bill Simmons saying F*ck Jalen Green. https://t.co/2PVZyQjK7A
A few weeks later, it was Jalen Green who was named to the All-Rookie First Team and Herb Jones was in the All-Rookie Second Team. Green then responded to Simmons via Twitter after the announcement.
🏽shoutout bill simmons my dawg fr🙏🏽
Simmons went on to clarify his comments by replying to Green's tweet. He pointed out that he was just joking and it was the news aggregators sites who made it look like a big deal.
@JalenGreen Congrats! I’m still rooting for you, don’t let the fake news aggregators ruin it for us. I just liked 2022 Herb Jones more for first-team which was the whole point of the joke. Excited to see what you have in store for your 2nd year, good luck.
The two seemed to have buried the hatchet when Jalen Green joined "The Bill Simmons Podcast" to discuss the situation. Green then revealed the players he looked up to while growing up. He named Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant as his biggest inspirations, stating:
"MJ and Kobe. Growing up, MJ was always my favorite since I was a kid. I always had MJ posters and Jordans. I didn't start to fall in love with Kobe until the middle of my junior year of high school.
"I started to watch more videos about his mindset and how he approached the game. And that was around the time I started to lock-in mentally."
Last night @JalenGreen secured his 4th straight 30-point game.
The last 2 rookies to do that?
Allen Iverson in 1997
Michael Jordan in 1985 https://t.co/8vVZtfmSFs
What's next for Jalen Green and the Houston Rockets?
The Houston Rockets finished the season with the worst record in the NBA. However, they earned the third overall pick in the upcoming draft, while their young core continues to gain more experience.
Jalen Green struggled with his shot, consistency and health in the first half of the season.
After the All-Star break, Green took off and became one of the best rookies in the league. He's expected to be even better next season along with the Rockets' core that includes Alperen Sengun, Kevin Porter Jr. and Josh Christopher.
Meanwhile, the Rockets are expected to draft whoever is available at third overall. The consensus top three picks in the draft are Jabari Smith of Auburn, Chet Holmgren of Gonzaga and Paolo Banchero of Duke.
All three prospects fit the Rockets, so it's a win-win situation for the organization.
As long as one of these guys ends up in a #Rockets jersey, we won the draft. https://t.co/Z0KQcTnYuT