Washington Wizards rookie Bradley Beal was selected for the NBA Rising Stars Challenge. Beal was selected eighth overall and was the fourth rookie selected. He'll suit up for Team Chuck and fans in attendance will get their money's worth watching Beal play next to backcourt mate Ricky Rubio.
Beal currently ranks 14th in Player Efficiency Rating and third in scoring among rookies, and is coming off of being named the NBA's Rookie of the Month for January, so his high selection comes as no surprise. Speaking about the decision to pick Beal, Barkley described him as "the guy I thought was going to be the second best rookie this year," going on to later add that "I got everything I need. I got runners and shooters."
The Rising Stars Challenge, more widely known as the rookie-sophomore game, will take place on Friday, February 15 in Houston as part of the NBA's All-Star weekend festivities. The first two selections were Damian Lillard for Team Shaq and Anthony Davis for Team Chuck. Team Chuck's first five players chosen were Davis, Kenneth Faried and Kawhi Leonard in the frontcourt along with Beal and Rubio in the backcourt, while Team Shaq's were Lillard, Kyrie Irving, Andre Drummond, and Harrison Barnes.
The complete roster for both teams is below.
Team Shaq | Team Chuck |
Damian Lillard | Anthony Davis |
Kyrie Irving | Kenneth Faried |
Andre Drummond | Kawhi Leonard |
Klay Thompson | Bradley Beal |
Harrison Barnes | Ricky Rubio |
Chandler Parsons | Tristan Thompson |
Dion Waiters | Nikola Vucevic |
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist | Brandon Knight |
Tyler Zeller | Isaiah Thomas |
Kemba Walker | Alexey Shved |