Jalen Green

Jalen Romande Green (born February 9, 2002) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a consensus five-star recruit and the best shooting guard in the 2020 class, with ESPN ranking him number one overall. He finished his high school career at Prolific Prep in Napa, California, and he chose to forgo college basketball to join the NBA G League Ignite team in its inaugural season. Green has won three gold medals with the United States at the junior level and was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 2018 FIBA Under-17 World Cup. Green was selected by the Houston Rockets with the second overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft. He is the third player in the NBA of Filipino descent, following Raymond Townsend and Jordan Clarkson.

Green was born on February 9, 2002, in Merced, California. He lived in Livingston, California, before moving to Fresno, California, in third grade. By sixth grade, he was playing Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball and practicing for five hours each day.

For his first three years of high school, Green played basketball for San Joaquin Memorial High School in Fresno. As a freshman, he was a full-time starter and averaged 18.1 points and nine rebounds per game. He led his team to a CIF Central Section Division II runner-up finish and the CIF Division II quarterfinals. He earned MaxPreps Freshman All-American second team and CIF Central Section rookie of the year honors. In his sophomore season, Green averaged 27.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, leading San Joaquin Memorial to a Central Section Division II title and the CIF Open Division playoffs. He was named MaxPreps National Sophomore of the Year and made the USA Today All-USA California second team.