HOUSTON – The Houston Rockets today announced they have signed rookies Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore.
Thompson (6-7, 215) was the fourth overall pick by Houston in the 2023 NBA Draft. He spent the past two seasons with Overtime Elite, (OTE) an Atlanta-based league which offers players ages 16 through 20 a pathway to becoming professional athletes. His twin brother, Ausar, was selected fifth overall by Detroit, making them the first brothers picked top-10 in the same draft in NBA history.
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While leading his team, the City Reapers, to the OTE championship last season, Amen averaged 17.2 points, 9.2 assists and 7.2 rebounds up from regular season averages of 16.3 ppg, 6.2 apg and 6.4 rpg. The 20-year-old ranked third in the league in assists and sixth in scoring. In 51 career OTE games (regular season and playoffs), Thompson averaged 2.2 steals and 1.2 blocks while shooting 53.6% from the floor.
Whitmore (6-7, 235) was the 20th overall pick by the Rockets in the 2023 NBA Draft. As a freshman at Villanova last season, he averaged 12.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.4 spg and 1.4 3-pointers made. Over the past 15 seasons, Whitmore was one of four Division I freshman to have averaged at least 12.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.00 spg and 1.0 3FGM while playing fewer than 28.0 mpg.
At the 2022 FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship, Whitmore averaged 18.7 points and was named MVP after leading USA Basketball to the gold medal. The former McDonald’s All-American will turn 19 years old on July 8.