The All-Star break is here as the league puts on their annual showcase event for the fans. Cleveland is hosting the event this weekend, which concludes with the 71st All-Star game on Sunday night. There will be a lot of action taking place before that, as festivities kick off on Friday night with the All-Star Celebrity game, followed by the Clorox Rising Stars game.
NBA All-Star Weekend | Rising Stars Rosters
While the All-Star game has become a glorified shoot-around, the Rising Stars game has always been very competitive. This game features the young stars in the game that are looking to make a name for themselves. This year there is a new format, which will create a three-game tournament with four teams to determine the winner.
The four teams are comprised of 28 players; 12 rookies, 12 sophomores, and four players from the NBA G League Ignite developmental team. The 28 players were put into a pool and drafted by coaches (and 75th Anniversary Team members) Rick Barry, Gary Payton, Isiah Thomas, and James Worthy. These are the four teams that will compete on Friday night.
Rising Stars Rosters
- Team Isiah is headlined by the trio of Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, and Desmond Bane. Those second-year players will be joined by Precious Achiuwa, Isaiah Stewart, Saddiq Bey, and G League Ignite player Jaden Hardy.
- Team Worthy is led by three sensational rookies – Jalen Green, Jalen Suggs, and Josh Giddey. Joining them will be Tyrese Maxey, Cole Anthony, Herbert Jones, and G League Ignite player MarJon Beauchamp.
- Team Barry has three talented rookies as well. The top overall pick, Cade Cunningham, is joined by Franz Wagner and Evan Mobley. Isaac Okoro joins his Cavaliers teammate, along with Rockets players Jae’Sean Tate and Alperen Sengun. Dyson Daniels is their G League Ignite player.
- Team Payton has arguably the most talented roster among the four teams. This squad is stacked with LaMelo Ball, Scottie Barnes, Chris Duarte, Davion Mitchell, Ayo Dosunmu, and Jaden McDaniels. Duarte and Mitchell will both miss the game with injuries and have been replaced by Jonathan Kuminga and Bones Hyland. Their G League Ignite player is Scoot Henderson.
The first semifinal game will be between Team Isiah and Team Worthy, and the winner of that will face the winner of Team Barry and Team Payton in the championship game.
The #CloroxRisingStars rosters are official ⭐️ ️
The first 4 picks from the draft…
1st Pick – Anthony Edwards
2nd Pick – Evan Mobley
3rd Pick – LaMelo Ball
4th Pick – Cole Anthony pic.twitter.com/DRjpGKGXtm— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 4, 2022
Each game will be played to a final target Score, ending with a made basket or free throw instead of with the clock running out. It will be a “Race to 75” to celebrate the league’s 75th anniversary season. The first two games will be played until a team reaches 50 points. The final game will be played until a team reaches 25 points.
Clorox Clutch Challenge
There will also be a timed shooting competition called the Clorox Clutch Challenge that will take place after the second semifinal game. Eight NBA and NBA G League Ignite players were divided into four teams of two and will compete to make shots from five locations on the court tied to iconic shots made in the NBA Playoffs.
- Team 1 is Tyrese Haliburton and Desmond Bane.
- Team 2 is Scottie Barnes and Tyrese Maxey.
- Team 3 is Evan Mobley and Josh Giddey.
- Team 4 is Fanbo Zeng and Michael Foster Jr.
Each team gets one ball and the players must alternate shots so no player shoots two times consecutively. Team 1 is given 90 seconds to make a shot from each of the five locations in any order. Team 1’s time is then the marker for Team 2. If Team 1’s time is 1:15, then Team 2 will have a 1:15 countdown clock to complete the competition. Each team that establishes a new standard sets the clock for the next team competing, and the fastest team will win the Clorox Clutch Challenge.
The winning team of the Clorox Rising Stars will receive medals that are elevated by basketball seams, with “Champions” and stars engraved in the center. In addition, two players from each Rising Stars team will compete in the Clorox Clutch Challenge, with the winning team set to receive a 10-inch crystal disc.
