NBA Rookies
J. Lin walked so Jaylin could run. This summer, Williams became the first player of Vietnamese descent to be drafted into the NBA. And he was the only Asian American picked this year—the Oklahoma Thunder selected the Arkansas forward 34th overall.
Fellow Viet American Johnny Juzang went undrafted, but made the Utah Jazz on a two-way contract, allowing the former University of California, Los Angeles standout to split his time between the NBA and G League.
Other promising newcomers still looking for an NBA home include Filipino 7’2” giant Kai Sotto, Chinese-born blue chipper Fanbo Zeng and Korean second-generation baller Lee Hyun-jung.
In July 2021, Jalen Green shattered glass ceilings and 10-foot rims as the highest drafted Asian American player in NBA history. The Filipino American guard was picked second overall by the Houston Rockets.
King of the Ring
The scariest boxer since Mike Tyson is a diminutive Japan-born 118 pounder. “The Monster” Naoya Inoue was crowned the Ring Magazine’s pound-for-pound king in June after demolishing Filipino American legend Nonito Donaire in just two rounds.
But he received some help from Russian boxer Dmitry Bivol—whose mother is Korean—after the light heavyweight dominated former number one boxer Canelo Alvarez
in May.
The final bell rang for former world champion and Olympic medalist Amir Khan outside the ring. The Pakistani Brit boxer announced his retirement in May
NFL Strongholds
Who needs self-driving cars when Korean-born placekicker Younghoe Koo was virtually automatic in the 2021-22 NFL season? The Atlanta Falcons star made 93.1% of his 2021 field goal attempts, including four out of five attempts from 50 or more yards. Koo cashed in on his golden leg at the end of the…
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