UConn’s 2024 national championship team will be well-represented as NBA All-Star festivities begin this weekend.
All four Huskies selected in the 2024 NBA Draft will participate in the Rising Stars Challenge, which tips off the festivities on Friday night from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.
The four-team mini tournament will begin at 9 p.m. on Peacock with Team Melo, which includes both lottery picks, Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan, taking on Tristen Newton and the G League All-Stars. Carmelo Anthony drafted the Huskies’ menacing defensive duo and will be their coach while Austin Rivers coaches the G League squad.
Four UConn men’s basketball champs to participate in NBA All-Star weekend
That game will be followed by Team Vince (Carter) versus Team T-Mac (Tracy McGrady), which drafted Cam Spencer after his breakout start to the season with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Teams were selected after NBA assistant coaches determined a pool of 21 NBA players, choosing the best sophomores and rookies in the league this season. They were drafted into teams of seven by the Hall of Famers.
The first team to 40 points will decide the winner in each semifinal game. Then the winners will meet in the championship game, which will be won by the first team to 25 points.
There won’t be any UConn representation the rest of All-Star Weekend. Saturday’s events, beginning at 5 p.m. on NBC and Peacock, include the 3-point contest, the shooting stars challenge and the slam dunk contest. The G League Up Next game will begin at 2:30 p.m. on NBA TV, followed by the NBA All-Star game at 5 p.m. on NBC and Peacock.