Canadian trio, Raptors' Barnes named to NBA Rising Stars game
Annual showcase features mini tournament with 4 teams and 3 games
Canadians Bennedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard and Leonard Miller plus Toronto Raptors sophomore Scottie Barnes are among the 28 players named to the Jordan Rising Stars game for NBA all-star weekend.
The annual showcase of young stars on Feb. 17 at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City features a mini tournament with four teams and three games.
The 21 NBA players, selected by NBA assistant coaches, will be drafted onto three teams, while the seven NBA G League players, chosen by the league office, will make up the fourth team.
Mathurin, from Montreal, is averaging 17.9 points and 4.2 rebounds a game with Indiana, while fellow Pacers rookie Nembhard, from Aurora, Ont., is averaging 8.5 points and 4.0 assists.
Toronto's Miller is averaging 15.1 points and 8.4 rebounds in the G League.
Barnes, last season's NBA rookie of the year, is averaging 15.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.0 steals and 34.8 minutes in 49 games this season.
Former NBA players Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah, Jason Terry and Deron Williams will serve as honorary head coaches. They'll select their teams through the NBA Rising Stars draft, which will be held at a later date.
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
