The 2018 Mtn Dew Kickstart Rising Stars Game rosters were officially announced on Wednesday as the squads were once again broken into Team U.S. and Team World. This year, the game will feature one player pulling double duty, as Joel Embiid, technically an NBA sophomore, will play for the World team and in the All-Star Game on Sunday night.
Luckily for Embiid, the games are on Friday and Sunday which keeps him from having to worry about playing in a back-to-back on All-Star weekend. Embiid is joined by two of his Sixers’ teammates in Ben Simmons and Dario Saric on the World team, along with the likes of Bulls’ budding star Lauri Markkanen and Nuggets’ guard Jamal Murray.
On the U.S. side, Lonzo Ball will be joined by two of his Lakers’ teammates in Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram. The Celtics’ young dynamic duo of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum will also be alongside, as will breakout rookie star Donovan Mitchell from Utah.
The initial look at the rosters points to the World having a slight edge over the U.S. team, but that will be largely dependent on how much burn Embiid gets in this game with the All-Star game also on his schedule. In any case, the game ought to be pretty entertaining and shows the strength of the young players in the league.
Here are the full rosters for both teams:
Team World
Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kings
Dillon Brooks, Grizzlies
Joel Embiid, Sixers
Buddy Hield, Kings
Lauri Markkanen, Bulls
Jamal Murray, Nuggets
Frank Ntilikina, Knicks,
Domantas Sabonis, Pacers
Dario Saric, Sixers
Ben Simmons, Sixers
Team U.S.
Lonzo Ball, Lakers
Malcolm Brogdon, Bucks
Jaylen Brown, Celtics
John Collins, Hawks
Kris Dunn, Bulls
Brandon Ingram, Lakers
Kyle Kuzma, Lakers
Donovan Mitchell, Jazz
Dennis Smith Jr., Mavericks
Jayson Tatum, Celtics
