MANILA, Philippines — Filipino-American Jalen Green of the Houston Rockets heads back to the Philippines for the first time in three years as he embarks on an exclusive "JG4 Manila Tour" with adidas Philippines.
A global ambassador for the brand, Green arrived early Wednesday morning to reconnect with his Filipino roots and "experience basketball and street culture".
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adidas is set to take the Rockets guard on a "tour like no other" and give him a taste of "everyday Pinoy experience".
Green, whose mother traces her roots to Ilocos Sur, is one of two NBA players with Filipino heritage, along with Utah Jazz's Jordan Clarkson.
“It is with great pride and excitement that adidas Philippines welcomes another NBA athlete — and most importantly one with Filipino roots — to the country. This has been prepared a bit differently from how our previous athlete visits were because firstly, we are taking into consideration the health and safety of Jalen as well as our fellow Filipinos, but also, we wanted to make sure that we give Jalen this opportunity to see and experience a different and more authentic side of the Philippines as he represents the Three Stripes,” said Jen Dacasin, adidas Philippines Brand Activation Manager.
Green has been to the Philippines before, playing hoops with the National Basketball Training Center in 2018 and 2019.
The 20-year-old has since been drafted into the NBA, going second overall in the 2021 draft.
In his first year with the Rockets, Green averaged 17.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 67 games played for his team.
He was also selected in the NBA All-Rookie Team earlier this year along with Scottie Barnes of Toronto, top pick Cade Cunningham of Detroit, Cleveland's Evan Mobley, and Orlando's Franz Wagner.
adidas has yet to announce the details of Green's visit.