Rockets Rookie Cam Whitmore Has 'Chip on My Shoulder' After Draft Day Slide

Cam Whitmore was taken with the Houston Rockets' No. 20 pick after being slated as a potential top-five selection.

Jeremy Brener | Jun 25, 2023

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Houston Rockets rookie Cam Whitmore didn't expect to wait too long on Thursday night to hear his name called by commissioner Adam Silver at the NBA Draft.

A projected top-five pick, Whitmore's fall was one of the major storylines of the night, but the Rockets ended his slide when they selected him with the No. 20 pick. Whitmore plans to use that experience as fuel to prove the teams that passed up on him wrong in the NBA.

"Probably after a couple picks, I’m like, ‘All right.’ I know what it is, I know it’s time. I have that chip on my shoulder, but I’ve been overlooked before. It’s nothing new," Whitmore said via The Athletic's Kelly Iko.

Whitmore's fall in the draft was cited towards "medical issues," but that didn't deter the Rockets away from him. In the days leading up to the draft, sources claimed that there was a debate between Whitmore and the eventual No. 4 pick Amen Thompson as to who Houston was going to take.

In a rare moment, the Rockets were able to have their cake and eat it too.

It seems like the Rockets have a tasty spread of food ... cake, the home-cooked core that already resides in Houston, and the chips on Whitmore's shoulder.

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Published Jun 25, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.