The Rockets currently hold second place in the Western Conference with a record of 32 wins and 14 losses, thanks in large part to Şengün’s contributions. His selection marks a historic milestone as he becomes only the second Turkish player in NBA history to earn an All-Star spot, following Mehmet Okur in 2007.

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.

“I’ve got a lot of injuries from (his childhood) — like everywhere,” the 22-year-old Şengün said. “My arms. My knees. I have injuries and scars everywhere from climbing places.

The NBA's All-Star reserves for both the Eastern and Western Conference were released Thursday night, and there were a couple of notable snubs not affected by injuries including A

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.

The Grizzlies knew they needed a win against the Rockets on Thursday after losing three times earlier this season. Here's how they pulled it off.

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.

Amen Thompson is just in his second NBA season, and is already one of the most potent positionless players around, which is helping his journey towards stardom.

The Rockets, currently the No. 2 seed in the West, are relatively content with their roster and unlikely to get involved in the De'Aaron Fox sweepstakes.

NBA legend Carmelo Anthony offered a word of advice to Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler this week amid his ongoing drama ahead of the Feb. 6 NBA trade

The NBA All-Star Game reserves were announced Thursday evening. These are big names missing, headlined by Domantas Sabonis and Trae Young.