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Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker has been selected to participate in the 2016 BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge as part of the 2016 NBA All-Star Weekend, the league announced today. This year’s showcase of young talent continues the U.S. vs. the world format that debuted last year and pits 10 first- and second-year NBA players from the United States against 10 first- and second-year NBA players from around the world. The game will take place on Friday, Feb. 12, at 8 p.m. CT at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, and will be televised live by TNT.
Parker, 20, is averaging 11.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game in his sophomore season. He’s scored in double figures in 30 of his 41 appearances, including a season-high 22 points on Jan. 13 at Washington. He’s also recorded a pair of double-doubles – both coming in the last two weeks. Parker made his season debut on Nov. 4 after missing the first four games of the season, as well as the final 57 games of his rookie season, while recovering from a torn ACL.
Both BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge rosters, chosen by the NBA’s assistant coaches, had to include four guards, four frontcourt players and two players at any position. The coaches also picked a minimum of three first-year players and three second-year players for each team.
Joining Parker on the U.S. squad are Jordan Clarkson (L.A. Lakers), Rodney Hood (Utah), Zach LaVine (Minnesota), Nerlens Noel (Philadelphia), Jahlil Okafor (Philadelphia), Elfrid Payton (Orlando), D’Angelo Russell (L.A. Lakers), Marcus Smart (Boston) and Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota).
Representing the World Team are Bojan Bogdanovic (Brooklyn), Clint Capela (Houston), Mario Hezonja (Orlando), Nikola Jokic (Denver), Nikola Mirotic (Chicago), Emmanuel Mudiay (Denver), Raul Neto (Utah), Kristaps Porzingis (New York), Dwight Powell (Dallas) and Andrew Wiggins (Minnesota).
