Watch: Jalen Green gets faked out his shoes by a kid from his youth basketball camp in California
Jalen Green of the Houston Rockets held a youth basketball camp at Hoover High School in his hometown of Fresno, California. The camp reportedly had students from the first grade through the eighth grade. It was a nice gesture by Green, but he didn't anticipate what was coming.
In a viral video from his camp, Green was faked out of his shoes by a kid. Green played defense against the young man, who hit what looked like a Dream Shake. Rockets legend and Hall of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon popularized the move.
Jalen Green vs camper 👀
(via kendricksugar/IG) https://t.co/SyJqztXkNF
Kids from the camp screamed in excitement as they stormed the court. It was an unbelievable moment for them to play in front of NBA players. Green brought reigning Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes, former teammate Christian Wood and current teammate Josh Christopher to the camp.
Milwaukee Bucks rookie MarJon Beauchamp and the LA Clippers' Brandon Boston Jr. were also there to show their support. Barnes told ABC30's Bri Mellon that he considers Green his brother.
"We call each other brothers. We're so tight," Barnes said. "It was a no-brainer for me to come out here and show love to his city."
NBA Rookie of the Year @ScottBarnes561 said it was a no brainer for him to come to Fresno and help @JalenGreen. He says they've known each other since the 8th grade and call each other brothers. @ABC30 https://t.co/P35QTGMojK
Green grew up in Fresno, California, and attended San Joaquin Memorial High School. He spent the first three years of high school there before transferring to Prolific Prep in Napa for his senior year. He was a top recruit in his class but opted to sign a one-year contract with the NBA G League Ignite.
The move paid off as Green was one of the top prospects for the 2021 NBA Draft, along with Cade Cunningham and Evan Mobley. Green is also just the third player in NBA history of Filipino descent. The other two were Raymond Townsend and Jordan Clarkson.
Jalen Green's first season with the Houston Rockets
In last year's draft, Jalen Green was drafted second overall by the Houston Rockets. Green struggled in the first half of the season but turned it up after the All-Star break. He finished the season averaging 17.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists, with All-Rookie First Team honors.
The young Rockets star was second in scoring and first in three-pointers made on his team. He scored 20-plus points in 17 of his final 25 games. He also had 30 or more points in the last five games of his streak. It was the second-longest 30-plus scoring streak for a rookie since the 1971-72 season.
Green averaged 28.1 points per game in the last nine of the season. He added 4.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 48.6% from the field and 42.7% from beyond the arc. The Rockets will be one of the most exciting young teams to watch next season.
In addition to Jalen Green, Houston has a handful of prospects, including Jabari Smith, Alperen Sengun, Jae'Sean Tate and Josh Christopher. The Rockets might have finished with the worst record in the NBA last season, but they will learn from that.