How NBA Rookies Fared in the Castrol Rising Stars Tournament

On Friday, young players across the league helped to kick off All-Star Weekend in the NBA, participating in the Castrol Rising Stars game.

The tournament featured NBA rookies, sophomores and even G League stars who looked to shine in a mini-tournament. The four teams were drafted, with coaches ranging from Austin Rivers to Tracy McGrady.

The 2025 NBA Draft class is off to a blazing start, featuring already-star talents like Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel and more. As many as 12 rookies from the '25 class participated in the event, seeing varying outcomes.

The first game of the night featured Team Austin vs. Team Melo, the former hosting G League standouts, and the latter made up of rookies and sophomores.

Ultimately, Carmelo Anthony’s squad reached the target score first, led largely by second-year players, with some help from guards in Dylan Harper and Jeremiah Fears. The Spurs’ standout was able to add four points, while fears totaled seven.

In Game 2, Team Vince faced off against Team T-Mac, with a myriad of newbies sprinkled across both teams. Vince Carter’s squad won by just five points in a thriller, led almost entirely by VJ Edgecombe, who scored 17 of his team’s 41 points.

VJ Edgecombe vs Team T-Mac

- 17 points
- 5 rebounds
- 6/8 field goals
- 3/4 threes

It was a game to 40 points.pic.twitter.com/DEMwukD5ev
— Jacob Moreno (@jacob_moreno_) February 14, 2026

He scored the last 10 points of the game, which including the game-winning free throws. On the other side, Washington rookie Tre Johnson would add eight points.

Team’s Melo and Vince met in the finals, with Edgecombe again leading his team in scoring to earn MVP honors. He finished with six points in the final, with Spurs’ rookie Carter Bryant trailing just behind with five points.

Team Vince would edge out Team Melo by just a point, 25-24. Harper was the leading scorer in the game with eight points, made up mostly of two 3-pointers.

"[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar] told us, 'Why not just play hard?' Earlier today, after practice we all decided, man, we're just going to compete," Edgecombe said. "Vince, he just wanted me to be aggressive."

Edgecombe is amid a solid rookie season in Philadelphia, averaging just shy of 15 points per game, with 5.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists.

All-Star Weekend will continue with the 3-point contest, Shooting Stars event, Slam Dunk contest on Saturday, with the new World vs. Star and Stripes tournament happening on Sunday starting at 4 p.m. CT.

NBA games will pick back up on Thursday, Feb. 19, starting with a slate of four games at 6 p.m. CT.