Paolo Banchero, Josh Giddey and Alperen Sengün are chosen to headline the Jordan Rising Stars

All the different components that represent the NBA’s All-Star weekend are starting to unravel as each week goes by. First it was the captains and their chosen starters, then the Slam Dunk participants, and finally this past Tuesday the youthful list of players who will take part in the 2023 Jordan Rising Star have been confirmed. 

Up to now, were are yet to know the names of the players who will start in the bench of the All-Star Game, as this information is to be announced this Thursday, February 2nd. For the first time ever, captains will choose their reserves just minutes before the initial whistle, instead of days before like it used to be.

As the participants for the Rising Stars tournament were revealed, several names stand out from the rest. The announcement of Orlando Magic’s fowards Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner defintely are getting us excited, as well as other young athletes like Oklahoma City’s 20-year-old John Giddey or the Rockets’ Turkish star Alperen Sengun.

The roster comprised of 28 players, which has been traditionally chosen by assistant coaches of the league, includes seven G League players, eleven NBA rookies, and ten sophomores, who many of them participated in last year’s showcase.

Here is the complete list of this season’s Jordan Rising Stars:

The NBA announced today the 28 players who have earned spots to compete in the 2023 Jordan Rising Stars.

The player pool consists of 11 NBA rookies, 10 second-year NBA players and seven NBA G League players. pic.twitter.com/hxlHTYd0OT

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 31, 2023

Of course, many young talent with great potential weren’t chosen and the fans from all over have made themselves heard. Lakers Austin Reaves is an important name left out of the roster, as well as Houston’s Tari Eason.

As for the players who make the headlines, Paolo Banchero leads the Magic and all NBA rookies in minutes played and scoring. The 20-year-old is averaging 20.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.02 steals in 33.7 minutes per game. Banchero, who was the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft in June, was also named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month in December.

His teammate, Franz Wagner also played in last campaign’s Rising Stars match as he was awarded part of the 2021-22 NBA All-Rookie team. The sophomore is averaging 19.9 points, 4 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 33.1 minutes per game, while shooting .843 (188-223) from the free-throw line.

Check out ESPN’s latest compilation of the season highlights of the Rising Star’s 2023 roster:

All head coaches have also been selected

Lakers former star Pau Gasol was announced as one of the honored coaches to led his team in the mini-tournament of the Rising Stars. The Spaniard, who is a six-time All-Star participant and two-time NBA Champion, will share his responsabilities with Joakim Noah (two-time All-Star) and Deron Williams (three-time All-Star).

So here is how it works. The 21 players from the NBA will be divided in three teams (Team Pau, Team Joakim and Team Deron) of seven athletes each. A fourth team will be comprised of talent coming from the G League, who will be coached by Jason Terry, who is the Utah Jazz’s current assistant trainer and NBA Champion in 2011.

Both semifinal matches will be played by the first team to achieve 40 points, as for the final game will be played by whoever reaches the 25-point limit first.

The game, a showcase of the NBA’s top young talent, will be played in Salt Lake City, as part of All-Star Saturday night and will be televised by TNT at 9 p.m ET.