Three Washington Wizards are headed to New Orleans next month for the Rising Stars game at the NBA’s All-Star weekend.
First-year players Alex Sarr and Bub Carrington will join forces on the rookie team while Bilal Coulibaly headlines the second-year squad. This is the first time in Wizards history that the team will send three players to the event.
The Rising Stars game will be held on Friday, Feb. 14, ahead of the three-game All-Star tournament on Sunday, Feb. 16.
Coulibaly will make his second appearance in the Rising Stars game after playing for the rookie team last season. The 2023 first-round pick has polished his play during his second season in Washington, averaging 12.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
Sarr, the second pick in last year’s draft, ranks fourth among rookies in points per game this season, fourth in rebounds and second in blocked shots.
Carrington, a Baltimore native who the Wizards added via a draft-day trade with the Portland Trail Blazers, has averaged 8.9 points in 34 starts this season. He became the youngest starter in franchise history when he made his debut against the Boston Celtics just 95 days after his 19th birthday.
The NBA shifted the All-Star format this season, ditching the high-scoring affair for a four-team, three-game tournament where the first team to score 40 points in each game wins. Three of the teams will consist of All-Stars, while the fourth team will feature the winning squad from the Rising Stars game.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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