Grizzlies rookie guard/forward Dillon Brooks has been selected to participate in the 2018 Mtn Dew Kickstart Rising Stars Challenge on Friday, Feb. 16 (8 p.m. CT) at Staples Center in Los Angeles during NBA All-Star 2018, the NBA announced today.
Brooks, a native of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, will represent the World team and tip-off against the United States team in the event, which will air on TNT and ESPN Radio.
Brooks (6-6, 220) has appeared in all 46 of the Grizzlies' games this season, including 38 starts, and has averaged 8.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 27.4 minutes this season while shooting 46.2 percent from the field, 39.8 percent from three-point range and 73.3 percent from the free throw line. Selected with the 45th overall pick in the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft, the 22-year-old ranks among the rookie leaders in three-point field goal percentage (4th), minutes per game (8th), field goal percentage (9th) and scoring average (14th).
Named the 2017 Pac-12 Player of the Year as a junior at the University of Oregon, Brooks currently is on pace to set the franchise rookie record for three-point field goal percentage. He is one of only three NBA rookies (Jayson Tatum, OG Anunoby) to play in all of his team's games this season.
The NBA's assistant coaches selected the rosters for the Mtn Dew Kickstart Rising Stars, with each of the league's 30 teams submitting one ballot per coaching staff. Coaches selected four guards, four frontcourt players and two players at either position group for each team. They also picked a minimum of three first-year NBA players and three second-year NBA players for each team.
Brooks, the only World team member drafted in the second round of an NBA Draft, will team with the Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid (Cameroon), Dario Saric (Croatia) and Ben Simmons (Australia), the Sacramento Kings' Bogdan Bogdanovic (Serbia) and Buddy Hield (Bahamas), the Chicago Bulls' Lauri Markkanen (Finland), the Denver Nuggets' Jamal Murray (Canada), the New York Knicks' Frank Ntilikina (France) and the Indiana Pacers' Domantas Sabonis (Lithuania).
The United States team features reigning Kia NBA Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon of the Milwaukee Bucks, the Boston Celtics' Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, the Los Angeles Lakers' Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma, the Atlanta Hawks' John Collins, the Bulls' Kris Dunn, the Utah Jazz's Donovan Mitchell and the Dallas Mavericks' Dennis Smith Jr.
Fans who want to support the Memphis Grizzlies and purchase 2017/18 Season Tickets, can do so now by calling (901) 888-HOOP or going online to grizzlies.com. For more information on the Grizzlies, 'like' Memphis Grizzlies on Facebook or follow on Twitter (@memgrizz).