It is the first All-Star selection for Şengün, the 22-year-old center who over the last four seasons has helped to rebuild the Rockets into a playoff contender.

Alperen Şengün joined the Houston Rockets at the depths of their post-Harden rebuild in the 2021 NBA draft. The 22-year-old center is now an All-Star as Houston rises up the NBA hierarchy. Şengün’s been reaching new heights this season 🚀 Alperen Şengün is an #NBAAllStar! pic.twitter.com/GfTkVUlnKv

In what has become a sizzling rivalry between two of the top Western Conference teams, the Rockets and Grizzlies meet for the final game of the regular season.

Joining Wembanyama as a West reserve are Jaren Jackson Jr., Jalen Williams, Anthony Edwards, Anthony Davis, James Harden and Alperen Şengün. The seven reserves from the East are Jaylen Brown, Pascal Siakam, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Cade Cunningham, Damian Lillard and Tyler Herro, as selected by the conference’s coaches.

Alperen Şengün is a Turkish professional basketball player born on July 25, 2002, in Giresun, Turkey. He plays as a center for the Houston Rockets in the NBA and represents the Turkish national team.

Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun is enjoying the best ... and the Rockets are in second place in the Western Conference standings as January rolls into its second half. A big reason for ...

With the Cavaliers down two points, Darius Garland, their potential All-Star guard and 90 percent free-throw shooter, sat alone at the line with the chance to give Cleveland the lead. Even if he failed to make all three free throws, Cleveland, via a Flagrant One on the Rockets, would have the ball with a chance to seal the game.

The Los Angeles Lakers are fifth in the Western Conference, but if they go after a reported trade target, they could have more than enough size to tackle the Denver Nuggets.

For the first time since the 2019-20 season (James Harden, Russell Westbrook), the Houston Rockets will be represented at this year’s All-Star Game.

With the NBA trade deadline just a week away, the Houston Rockets will have to explore what moves can help them compete for an NBA Championship this season, but are they already there?

Jaren Jackson Jr. was named as a reserve for the NBA All-Star game next month. He was the only Grizzlies player who made it.

In a league that requires playoff scars to survive the championship gauntlet of four playoff rounds, the Rockets have none, and any team that has been there before will reveal theirs in a seven-game series. Houston, more than any other team, is one piece away from serious title contention.