The NBA’s annual showcase of premier young talent – the 2023 Jordan Rising Stars — is set for Friday, Feb. 17 (9 p.m. ET, TNT) at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City as part of NBA All-Star 2023.
For the second straight season, Rising Stars will feature a three-game mini-tournament among four teams comprised of NBA rookies, sophomores and NBA G League Players.
THE PLAYER POOL
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The 28 players set to participate in the Jordan Rising Stars include 11 NBA rookies, 10 NBA sophomores and seven NBA G League players.
Rookies:
- Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic
- Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons
- AJ Griffin, Atlanta Hawks
- Jaden Ivey, Detroit Pistons
- Walker Kessler, Utah Jazz
- Bennedict Mathurin, Indiana Pacers
- Keegan Murray, Sacramento Kings
- Andrew Nembhard, Indiana Pacers
- Jabari Smith Jr., Houston Rockets
- Jeremy Sochan, San Antonio Spurs
- Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder
Sophomores:
- Jose Alvarado, New Orleans Pelicans
- Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors
- Josh Giddey, Oklahoma City Thunder
- Jalen Green, Houston Rockets
- Quentin Grimes, New York Knicks
- Bones Hyland, Denver Nuggets
- Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers
- Trey Murphy III, New Orleans Pelicans
- Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets
- Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic
G League:
- Sidy Cissoko, G League Ignite
- Scoot Henderson, G League Ignite
- Mojave King, G League Ignite
- Kenneth Lofton Jr., Memphis Hustle
- Mac McClung, Deleware Blue Coats
- Leonard Miller, G League Ignite
- Scotty Pippen Jr., South Bay Lakers
The 21 NBA players, selected by NBA assistant coaches, will be drafted onto three seven-player teams. The seven NBA G League players, selected by the NBA league office, will comprise the fourth team.
To select the 21 NBA player participants, each NBA team submitted a rookie ballot and sophomore ballot featuring four frontcourt players, four guards and two additional players of any position, in order of preference. Coaches were not allowed to vote for any player on their team.
Points were awarded based on where a player was ranked on each ballot, and the players with the highest total points made the cut.
THE LEGENDARY COACHES
The Jordan Rising Stars teams comprised of rookies and sophomores will be led by NBA legends serving as honorary head coaches: Pau Gasol, a six-time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA champion; Joakim Noah, a two-time NBA All-Star and 2013-14 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year; and Deron Williams, a three-time NBA All-Star and two-time All-NBA Second Team member.
The team of NBA G League players will be led by 2008-09 Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year and 2011 NBA champion Jason Terry, a current Jazz assistant coach and former head coach of the NBA G League’s Grand Rapids Gold.
Assistant coaches from the NBA All-Star Game coaching staffs will join the legends in coaching the teams during the Jordan Rising Stars games.
The Boston Celtics’ coaching staff will lead Team Giannis in the NBA All-Star Game. Team LeBron’s coaching staff has yet to be determined.
THE DRAFT
While the NBA G League team is set, the three teams comprised of NBA rookies and sophomores will be determined through the Jordan Rising Stars Draft, with Gasol (Team Pau), Noah (Team Joakim) and Williams (Team Deron) each choosing seven-player rosters.
THE FORMAT
All three games in the Jordan Rising Stars will be played on Friday, Feb. 17 from Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City beginning at 9 p.m. ET.
All three games will be played to a Final Target Score, which means the game will end on a made basket or free throw rather than time expiring.
The two semifinal games – Game 1 and Game 2 – will be played to a Final Target Score of 40.
The final game, featuring the winners, will be played to a Final Target Score of 25 to determine the tournament champion.
- 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
THE HISTORY
The 2023 Jordan Rising Stars marks the 28th edition of the NBA’s annual showcase of young talent during NBA All-Star Weekend.
The game debuted in 1994 and has been played each season with the exception of 1999, when there was no All-Star Game due to the lockout, and 2021, when participation was limited participation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The format has changed over the years. Initially, rookies played sophomores; then the USA squared off with the World. Now, the event features a mini-tournament with NBA G League Players joining the top first-and second-year players across the NBA.
GET TICKETS
Tickets for Jordan Rising Stars are available at NBAEvents.com and through the NBA Events App, which can be downloaded in the Apple Store or Google.
By Brian Martin, for NBA.com
Source NBA
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