NEW YORK – With the first pick of the 2013 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge draft, TEAM SHAQ selected Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers while TEAM CHUCK picked Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Hornets second overall. TNT analysts Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal, general managers for the 2013 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge, made their player selections live on TNT.
Prior to the Draft, TNT’s Kenny Smith, the Honorary Commissioner of the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge, added Ricky Rubio of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Isaiah Thomas of the Sacramento Kings to the player pool. Prior to last year’s Draft, Smith added Norris Cole of the Miami Heat and Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks to the player pool.
Joining Lillard on TEAM SHAQ are Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers), Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons), Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes (Golden State Warriors), Chandler Parsons (Houston Rockets), Dion Waiters (Cleveland Cavaliers), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Charlotte Bobcats), Tyler Zeller (Cleveland), and Kemba Walker (Charlotte).
In addition to Davis, TEAM CHUCK is comprised of Rubio, Thomas, Kenneth Faried (Denver Nuggets), Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs), Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards), Tristan Thompson (Cleveland), Nikola Vucevic (Orlando Magic), Brandon Knight (Detroit), Isaiah Thomas (Sacramento Kings), and Alexey Shved (Minnesota Timberwolves).
The 2013 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge will be played Friday, Feb. 15, in Houston as part of NBA All-Star 2013. During the game, fans will be able to vote for the MVP via Twitter, online and on mobile devices at NBA.com, through the NBA Game Time and NBA Game Time from Sprint apps, and SMS texting. This is the first time that fans will be able to vote via social media for the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge MVP.
This marks the second straight year rookies and sophomores will be mixed together on teams. Last year in Orlando, Irving netted a game-high 34 points and MVP honors as he led TEAM CHUCK over TEAM SHAQ 146-133.
The head coaches for both teams are the lead assistant coaches from the 2013 NBA All-Star Game coaching staffs. The Miami Heat’s David Fizdale will lead TEAM SHAQ and the San Antonio Spurs’ Mike Budenholzer will man the sidelines for TEAM CHUCK.