There won’t be a 2021 NBA Rising Stars Game, as All-Star Weekend has been condensed down to just the game itself and the normal Saturday night competitions taking place before the All-Star Game and during halftime. The contestants for those competitions were announced officially on Tuesday, and even though there isn’t a Rising Stars Game, the league announced rosters for the annual rookie-sophomore extravaganza anyways on Wednesday.
The U.S. vs. World format remains and, as such, there’s plenty of hand-wringing over snubs, particularly given how thin it can get on the bottom of the World roster each year. Still, the expected names are on the list, headlined by a loaded U.S. squad that features actual All-Star Zion Williamson, along with Ja Morant, and LaMelo Ball, among many other top names. The World roster is headlined by RJ Barrett, enjoying a breakout sophomore campaign in New York, as well as Lu Dort and Brandon Clarke, who likewise are enjoying strong second seasons in the NBA.
The full rosters for both squads can be found below.
US
LaMelo Ball
Anthony Edwards
Tyrese Haliburton
Tyler Herro
De’Andre Hunter
Keldon Johnson
Ja Morant
Michael Porter Jr.
Zion Williamson
James Wiseman
WORLD
Precious Achiuwa
Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Deni Avdija
RJ Barrett
Facundo Campazzo
Brandon Clarke
Luguentz Dort
Rui Hachimura
Theo Maledon
Mychal Mulder
