Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has been selected to participate in the 2014 BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge as part of the 2014 NBA All-Star Weekend, the NBA announced today. The Rising Stars Challenge, which features two teams of NBA rookies and sophomores, will take place on Friday, Feb. 14, at the New Orleans Arena.
Antetokounmpo, 19, is averaging 7.0 points (7th among NBA rookies), 4.7 rebounds (2nd) and 1.8 assists (T-9th) per game in his rookie season. The youngest player in the NBA, Antetokounmpo also became the youngest Buck ever to earn a starting nod when he entered the lineup on Dec. 18 vs. New York. He’s since started each of Milwaukee’s last 20 games, scoring in double figures 10 times in that span and recording his first two career double-doubles (16 points/10 rebounds on Dec. 27 at Brooklyn and 13 points/11 rebounds on Jan. 11 at Oklahoma City).
The BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge – televised live nationally on TNT at 8 p.m. CT and broadcast live on ESPN Radio, with live audio also available on NBA.com in multiple languages – features two teams of nine rookies and sophomores mixed together, drafted from a pool selected by the NBA’s assistant coaches.
This marks the third straight year rookies and sophomores will be combined on the teams. The BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge Draft is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 6, televised exclusively on TNT at 6 p.m. CT. General Managers for the teams will be announced at a later date.
Following the announcement of each team on Feb. 6, fans will be able to vote online from both their computer and mobile device for the starters of each team. The starting lineups will be determined by the players garnering the top votes for their respective positions, with two backcourt and three frontcourt spots for each team. The announcement of the starting lineup will be made in broadcast and in-arena on the night of the game.
Joining Antetokounmpo in the player pool are fellow rookies Steven Adams (Oklahoma City), Pero Antic (Atlanta), Trey Burke (Utah), Michael Carter-Williams (Philadelphia), Tim Hardaway, Jr. (New York), Victor Oladipo (Orlando), Kelly Olynyk (Boston) and Mason Plumlee (Brooklyn).
The sophomores selected to participate are Harrison Barnes (Golden State), Bradley Beal (Washington), Anthony Davis (New Orleans), Andre Drummond (Detroit), Terrence Jones (Houston), Damian Lillard (Portland), Jared Sullinger (Boston), Jonas Valanciunas (Toronto) and Dion Waiters (Cleveland).
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