2026 NBA Rising Stars Event – Rosters, Start Time, How to Watch

The NBA All-Star Weekend festivites tip-off on Friday night with the annual Rising Stars event. Headlined by rookies Kon Knueppel, Dylan Harper, and VJ Edgecombe, the mini tournament will pit the league's brightest young talent against one another.

Once again, a group of the G League's top talent will also have an opportunity to leave their mark. This squad has managed to win a semi-final game in each of the past two seasons, making sure the NBA's Rising Stars give maximum effort.

All things considered, this event has certainly become far more competitive than the league's official All-Star game. The majority of these young guys still have something to prove, and what better stage to do just that?

How to Watch

What: NBA Rising Stars Event
Where: Intuit Dome
When: 8:00 PM CT
Watch: Peacock

How Does It Work?

The NBA's Rising Stars event will pit some of the NBA's top young talent against one another on the league's biggest stage. A roster pool of standout freshmen and sophomores has been divided into three different teams coached by NBA legends. A fourth team will then be made up of the top G League players.

There will be two randomly selected semi-finals matchups before the winners meet in a third and final championship game. The first two games will be played to a set score of 40 points, while the championship will be the first to reach 25 points.

The original pool of 21 players were selected via ballots submitted by NBA assistant coaches.

What's the Schedule?

Game 1: Team Austin vs. Team Melo
Game 2: Team Vine vs. Team T-Mac
Championship: TBD (9:35 CT)

Rising Stars Rosters

Note: Players marked with an asterisk have been ruled out with injury.

Team Melo

Cooper Flagg (Mavericks)*
Reed Sheppard (Rockets)
Stephon Castle (Spurs)
Dylan Harper (Spurs)
Jeremiah Fears (Pelicans)
Donovan Clingan (Trail Blazers)
Ace Bailey (Jazz)
Collin Murray-Boyles (Raptors)

If the San Antonio Spurs' Stephon Castle can lead Team Melo to victory, it will be his second consecutive victory in the Rising Stars event. He scored 12 points in the championship game in 2025 to help Chris Webber's team walk away with the win.

Team T-Mac

Kon Knueppel (Hornets)
Kel'el Ware (Heat)
Tre Johnson (Wizards)
Jaylon Tyson (Cavaliers)
Zacchaire Risacher (Hawks)
Cam Spencer (Grizzlies)
Bub Carrington (Wizards)
Alex Sarr (Wizards)*
Ajay Mitchell (Thunder)*

Team Vince

VJ Edgecombe (76ers)
Derik Queen (Pelicans)
Matas Buzelis (Bulls)
Kyshawn George (Wizards)
Egor Demin (Nets)
Cedric Coward (Grizzlies)
Jaylen Wells (Grizzlies)
Carter Bryant (Spurs)

Team Austin

Sean East II
Ron Harper Jr.
Yanic Konan Niederhauser
Alijah Martin
Tristen Newton
Yan Hansen
Jahmir Young
Mac McClung*
David Jones Garcia*