Alaska-grown player makes NBA debut in Houston

Daishen Nix, who was born and raised in Alaska, entered the game for the Houston Rockets on Monday, adding one more name to the very short list of players with Alaska roots to reach the NBA. Nix, a shooting guard, was called up from NBA G League’s Rio Grande Valley for the game in Houston against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Nix had no points and one assist in two minutes during his big-league debut. He joins Trajan Langdon, Carlos Boozer, Mario Chalmers and JT Thor as Alaskans who have played in the NBA. Thor, who played junior varsity basketball at West High School in Anchorage, was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in July and made his season debut on Oct. 7 against the Grizzlies. Thor, a power forward, was sent to the G League on Nov. 18.

Nix moved with his family to Nevada after middle school in Anchorage, in part to pursue basketball opportunities. As a high schooler in Las Vegas with Trinity International, Nix became a highly sought recruit and was named to the McDonald’s All-American team. Nix committed to play for UCLA, but backed out in favor of the G League.