Houston Rockets rookie forward Jabari Smith Jr. will be a participant during All-Star Weekend after he and teammates Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun and Tari Eason, were invited to the Jordan Rising Stars Challenge.

Smith, the third overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, hasn't had an ideal start to his NBA career. Though he has the fifth-highest scoring average in the rookie class with 12.0 points per game, he's shooting just 38.9 percent from the field and 30.3 percent from 3-point range. To make matters worse, Rockets head coach Stephen Silas recently admitted that he isn't even calling plays to get his potential franchise cornerstone going.

But none of these truths may sting as much as the Oklahoma City Thunder reportedly reneging on their draft night promise to the Auburn product. Smith's far, Jabari Smith Sr., revealed that the Thunder promised to draft him with the second overall pick but chose former Gonzaga star Chet Holmgren instead.

Let his father tell the story, their decision weighed heavily on the 19-year-old.

Naturally, with it being the first opportunity for reporters to ask Smith to address the story, Smith was asked about it during his media availability on Friday. However, Smith clearly doesn't want to discuss it.

“The Draft is over, I don't know why we are still talking that,” Smith snaps when asked about OKC's draft night promise. “I'm not answering that.”

Holmgren, a 7-foot-0 center, was projected to be the first overall pick but their decision to draft Rookie of the Year frontrunner Paolo Banchero instead dramatically altered the course of the 2023 NBA Draft. With Holmgren still on the board, the Thunder pivoted away from their promise to Smith, who landed with the Rockets (once projected to be the team where Banchero would land).

The rest is history.