By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The NBA revealed a total of 28 players for the 2026 Castrol Rising Stars on Monday.
The list includes five European standouts in Lithuanian Matas Buzelis, Russian Egor Demin, Belgian Ajay Mitchell, Swiss Yanic Konan Niederhäuser, and French Alex Sarr.
Heading to a four-team round-robin tournament on Friday, February 13, at Intuit Dome, honorary coaches Carmelo Anthony, Tracy McGrady, and Vince Carter will draft their players on Tuesday, selecting from among the 21 available sophomores and rookies. The seven G League players will shape the fourth team, coached by Austin Rivers.
The 2026 Castrol Rising Stars ⬇
Tune in to @peacock tomorrow at 7 PM ET to watch honorary coaches Carmelo Anthony, Tracy McGrady, and Vince Carter draft their teams from the pool of 21 NBA sophomores and rookies.
Austin Rivers will serve as the honorary coach of the @nbagleague… pic.twitter.com/WW4quEKMLX
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 26, 2026
Sophomores: Matas Buzelis (Chicago Bulls), Stephon Castle (San Antonio Spurs), Donovan Clingan (Portland Trail Blazers), Kyshawn George (Washington Wizards), Ajay Mitchell (Oklahoma City Thunder), Alex Sarr (Washington Wizards), Reed Sheppard (Houston Rockets), Cam Spencer (Memphis Grizzlies), Jaylon Tyson (Cleveland Cavaliers), Kel’el Ware (Miami Heat), and Jaylen Wells (Memphis Grizzlies).
Rookies: Cedric Coward (Memphis Grizzlies), Egor Demin (Brooklyn Nets), VJ Edgecombe (Philadelphia 76ers), Jeremiah Fears (New Orleans Pelicans), Cooper Flagg (Dallas Mavericks), Dylan Harper (San Antonio Spurs), Tre Johnson (Washington Wizards), Kon Knueppel (Charlotte Hornets), Collin Murray-Boyles (Toronto Raptors), and Derik Queen (New Orleans Pelicans).
G League: Sean East II (Salt Lake City Stars), Ron Harper Jr. (Maine Celtics), David Jones Garcia (Austin Spurs), Yanic Konan Niederhauser (San Diego Clippers), Alijah Martin (Raptors 905), Tristen Newton (Rio Grande Valley Vipers), and Yang Hansen (Rip City Remix).
Per the press release: “The NBA today announced the 28 players selected to compete in the 2026 Castrol Rising Stars, the annual showcase of premier young talent at NBA All-Star. The event will take place on Friday, Feb. 13 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., streaming on Peacock at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Tickets are available at NBAEvents.com via Ticketmaster.
The Castrol Rising Stars player pool, revealed tonight on Peacock, consists of 11 NBA sophomores, 10 NBA rookies and seven players who have played in NBA G League games this season. The 21 NBA players, selected by NBA assistant coaches, will be drafted onto three seven-player teams. The seven NBA G League players, selected by the league office, will comprise the fourth team. The complete list of players is below and attached.
The Rising Stars Draft will take place tomorrow (Tuesday, Jan. 27) at 7 p.m. ET on Peacock. The three teams of NBA players will be drafted by honorary coaches Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady, all Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers and analysts on NBC Sports’ NBA Showtime. Players will be drafted without regard to position, conference affiliation or years of service. NBC Sports NBA analyst Austin Rivers will serve as honorary coach of the team composed of NBA G League players.
In the Castrol Rising Stars mini-tournament, Team A will face Team B in the first semifinal (Game 1), and Team C will play Team D in the second semifinal (Game 2). The winner of Game 1 will meet the winner of Game 2 in the championship (Game 3).
For each semifinal game, the winner will be the first team to reach or surpass 40 points. For the championship game, the winner will be the first team to reach or surpass 25 points.
NBA assistant coaches determined the pool of 21 NBA players, with each team submitting one ballot. Voters ranked 10 rookies and 10 sophomores, with more points assigned to higher placements. The top 10 rookies and top 10 sophomores by point total earned spots. The final spot was awarded to the higher-scoring player among the 11th-ranked finishers in each class. The pool includes one more sophomore than rookie based on total points received.
An assistant coach from one of the NBA All-Star Game coaching staffs will be named head coach of each of the four Castrol Rising Stars teams., working alongside the honorary coaches.”
Beyond the Rising Stars, Friday’s All-Star schedule features the NBA HBCU Classic Presented by AT&T and the Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game in Kia Forum. Following Saturday’s events, including the Slam Dunk and 3-Point Contest in Intuit Dome, a three-team tournament with an international squad facing two American sides will shape the 75th annual All-Star Game.