The NBA announced the rosters for the Rising Stars Challenge for All-Star Weekend in San Francisco, highlighting the best rookies and sophomores across the league. The Rising Stars Challenge will take place on Friday, Feb. 14, with 28 of the league’s best young talent competing in a mini-tournament. The winning team will get a chance to compete against the All-Stars on Sunday night.
Here’s the pool of players who will be featured during the Rising Stars Challenge:
|
Bilal Coulibaly, Wizards |
JD Davison, Maine Celtics |
|
|
Mac McClung, Osceola Magic |
||
|
Tristan da Silva, Magic |
Bryce McGowens, Rip City Remix |
|
|
Leonard Miller, Iowa Wolves |
||
|
Dink Pate, Mexico City Capitanes |
||
|
Jared McCain, 76ers (injured) |
Reed Sheppard, Rio Grande Valley Vipers |
|
|
Dereck Lively II, Mavericks (injured) |
Pat Spencer, Santa Cruz Warriors |
|
|
Brandon Miller, Hornets (injured) |
||
|
Alex Sarr, Wizards |
||
|
Jaylen Wells, Grizzlies |
||
|
Victor Wembanyama, Spurs (will not play) |
The league announced injury replacements for McCain, Lively and Miller, while Wembanyama is being replaced after being named an All-Star reserve this year. The four player replacements are:
- Anthony Black, Magic
- Ausar Thompson, Pistons
- Ryan Dunn, Suns
- Toumani Camara, Trail Blazers
Similar to last season, the Rising Stars Challenge will consist of four teams, with rosters drafted by honorary head coaches who have yet to be announced. The Rising Stars Draft will take place on Feb. 4 at 4 p.m. ET. Three of the teams will consist of NBA rookies and sophomores, while the fourth team will consist of the seven G League players selected.
2025 NBA All-Star Game rosters: Full squads set with Victor Wembanyama, Cade Cunningham among reserve picks
Sam Quinn
The four teams will then compete in a mini-tournament, which includes two semifinal matches and a championship game. The two semifinal matches will be played to 40 points, and the championship game will be played to 25 points.
The winning Rising Stars Challenge team will then be the fourth team added to the All-Star Game on Sunday night, where they will compete against one of the three All-Star squads.
