Thunder Gameday: Jalen Williams and Josh Giddey Represent OKC in Rising Stars Challenge

It's not a standard Oklahoma City Thunder gameday, but fans across the world will be tuning in to watch two of the team's top young players tonight.

2023 Jordan Rising Stars is one of the most anticipated events of the weekend this year, as 28 of the best young talents across the NBA and G League will face off in a tournament-style competition.

Two members of the Thunder earned the honor of participating, as Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams are in Salt Lake City for tonight's event.

All of the NBA players, mostly rookies and sophomores, were thrown into a draft pool for coaches to select from. Joakim Noah is one of the coaches for the event and drafted both Thunder players onto his team, meaning Giddey and Williams will be teammates.

FORMAT:

The NBA has clearly laid out the format for this prestigious event that has changed throughout the years dating back to 1994. This year, three games will be played to a Final Target Score, which means the game will end on a made basket or free throw rather than time expiring.

The two semifinal games – Game 1 and Game 2 – will be played to a Final Target Score of 40.

The final game, featuring the winners, will be played to a Final Target Score of 25 to determine the tournament champion.

Game 1: Team A vs. Team B
Game 2: Team C vs. Team D
Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2

Can Williams and Giddey lead Team Joakim to a win?

WHEN:

Friday, Feb. 19, 2023 at 8:00 PM CT

LOCATION:

Vivint Arena - Salt Lake City, UT

TV/RADIO:

TNT

FINAL WORD:

After this competition, Oklahoma City won't have any representation in Saturday's events. However, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be taking the floor in the premier contest of the weekend in Sunday in the NBA All-Star Game.

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