Magic forward Paolo Banchero, the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, and Raptors forward Scottie Barnes, the 2022 Rookie of the Year, headline the Rising Stars roster for the 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend. Here’s what you need to know:
- The pair are joined on the rookies and sophomores roster by Jalen Duren, AJ Griffin, Jaden Ivey, Walker Kessler, Bennedict Mathurin, Keegan Murray, Andrew Nembhard, Jabari Smith Jr., Jeremy Sochan, Jalen Williams, Jose Alvarado, Josh Giddey, Jalen Green, Quentin Grimes, Bones Hyland, Evan Mobley, Trey Murphy III, Alperen Sengun and Franz Wagner.
- The G League roster includes Scoot Henderson, Sidy Cissoko, Mojave King, Kenneth Lofton Jr., Leonard Miller, Mac McClung and Scotty Pippen Jr.
- The year marks the second edition of the new Rising Stars format that features a three-game mini-tournament among four teams — three drafted out of the NBA players group, and one comprised of only G League players.
The NBA announced today the 28 players who have earned spots to compete in the 2023 Jordan Rising Stars.
The player pool consists of 11 NBA rookies, 10 second-year NBA players and seven NBA G League players. pic.twitter.com/hxlHTYd0OT
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 31, 2023
How were the players selected?
Each NBA team submitted a rookie ballot and a sophomore ballot with four frontcourt players, four guards and two additional players at any position, in order of preference. Coaches couldn’t vote for players on their team. Points were awarded based on the ballots and the players with the most points made the Rising Stars roster.
Who will coach the teams?
The three teams comprised of NBA players will be led by six-time All-Star Pao Gasol, 2013-14 Defensive Player of the Year Joakim Noah and three-time All-Star Deron Williams. Jason Terry, the 2008-09 Sixth Man of the Year and former coach of the G League’s Grand Rapids Gold, will coach the G League team.
Those coaches will be joined by assistants from the staffs coaching the All-Star Game. The Celtics coaching staff is leading Team Giannis; Team LeBron’s staff has yet to be determined.
What’s the format?
All three Rising Stars games will take place on Friday, Feb. 17 starting at 9 p.m. ET at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City. The games will be played to a specific target score rather than based on a clock; the target score will be 40 for the first two games and 25 for the final.
Format:
- Game 1: Team A vs. Team B
- Game 2: Team C vs. Team D
- Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs. winner of Game 2
Required reading
(Photo of Banchero: Mike Watters / USA Today)
