Amen Thompson was selected by the Houston Rockets with the fourth pick in the NBA Draft 2023one spot ahead of his brother, Ausar Thompson, who went to the Detroit Pistons.
On Monday, Amen was introduced and asked if he grew up following the league, and the 20-year-old forward was amused by his answer.
Ausar Thompson and Amen Thompson pose for a photo during the 2023 NBA Draft on June 22, 2023 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. (Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images)
«I always grew up watching basketballsaid Amen Thompson. «I had [NBA] League pass every year. A little expensive but… I really like watching SGA [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander] and only athletic guards like that.»
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NBA League Pass has been around since 1999 and was $14.99 per month during the 2022-23 NBA season, and the premium version was $19.99 per month.
The Thompson brothers took an untraditional path to the NBA, skipping the university ranks and playing in the Overtime Elite League last season, a professional league for youth ages 16-20 based in Atlanta, Georgia.
Ice head coach Cam Whitmore #7, Amen Thompson #1 and general manager Raphael Stone of the Houston Rockets pose for a portrait on June 26, 2023 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. (Cristobal Zelaya/NBAE via Getty Images)
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The twins became the first pair of brothers to be selected together in the top five of the same NBA Draft since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976, according to ESPN.
«I think it’s great to be first. It means a lot to my family,» Amen said, according to ESPN. «Ausar and I were going to be happy with whoever went first. But it means a lot to my family to see all the hard work pay off. We’re going back to back, we’ll be the first twins in the same draft to be in the top five, it means a lot.»
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Amen Thompson of the Houston Rockets speaks to the media on June 26, 2023 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. (Cristobal Zelaya/NBAE via Getty Images)
Amen joins a rocket team full of young talent and looking to take the next step in its rebuilding process.
Houston has now drafted in the top 5 in each of the past three seasons, grabbing Jalen Green and Jabari Smith in 2021 and 2022.
In the past two years, Houston has won just 42 games combined, going 22-60 during the 2022-23 season.