French center Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs is the standout player among the 28 selected to compete in the NBA All-Star Rising Stars game in San Francisco, the NBA announced Tuesday.
The 28 players will be distributed among four teams to play in a final four. The winning team from this emerging stars tournament will qualify to play in the All-Star Final Four with the NBA’s biggest names.
The NBA has selected 11 sophomores and 10 rookies for the Rising Stars tournament, which will be spread across three teams of seven, as well as seven G League players who will have their own team.
Wembanyama, from the Spurs, Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Miami Heat) and Brandon Miller (Charlotte Hornets) are some of the big names among the sophomores, the most experienced players in the tournament, who have already played a season and a half in the NBA.
Among the rookies, Alex Sarr of the Washington Wizards, Stephon Castle of the San Antonio Spurs and Jaylen Wells of the Memphis Grizzlies stand out.
The G League team includes Bryce McGowens of the Rip City Remix (affiliate of the Portland Trail Blazers), JD Davison of the Maine Celtics (affiliate of the Boston Celtics) and Mac McClung, of the Osceola Magic and winner of the last two All-Star dunk contests.
The NBA will try this new format for its All-Star Game, which will be held from February 14-16 in San Francisco, after receiving criticism following the last edition for the lack of motivation of the players