Former Bruin Named to NBA's Rising Stars Roster

Former UCLA Bruins guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. will be participating in the NBA Rising Stars event for the second consecutive season, a part of the All-Star Weekend festivities. Jaquez has been one of the more consistent young talents in the league and will be able to showcase his skills once again.

The Rising Stars is a one-night, tournament-style event featuring four teams consisting of seven players each. The teams will play until one team reaches 40 points and is declared the winner. The semifinal winners will move on to play in the championship game. First team to score 25 wins it all.

Three of the four teams consist of either NBA rookies or second-year players with the fourth being all G-League Development players. Jaquez was selected to Team "T," handpicked by former NBA great Tim Hardaway, playing in the second and final Rising Stars event of his career.

Jaquez has been a consistent role player for the Miami Heat in his sophomore season, averaging 9.4 points on 43.9% shooting with 4.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He is averaging just over 23 minutes per game and has played in 44 of the team's 49 games this season.

It is quite impressive for Jaquez to be selected not once, but twice to play in this event. There are so many players that may earn the hype in their rookie season but fizzle out within a year. Jaquez has been the complete opposite, proving why he is one of the top young players in the league.

The Camarillo, Calif. native will play alongside second-year Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace for the second-straight year in this event, along with last year's top two NBA Draft picks: Zaccharie Risarcher (No.1) from the Atlanta Hawks and Alex Sarr (No. 2) of the Washington Wizards.

He will be somewhat of a veteran, trying to earn his first Rising Stars championship and potential MVP award. It was Indiana Pacers second-year shooting guard Benedict Mathurin who took home the MVP last year which bodes well for Jaquez's chances to do the same with prior experience.

The former Bruin star can be seen in action on Friday, Feb. 14 at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. on TNT.

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