Jayson Tatum named to Rising Stars Game

For the second straight year, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum was named as a participant in the Rising Stars Game as part of NBA All-Star Weekend.

Tatum will play as a member of Team USA, as the Risings Stars Game is a Team USA vs Team World format.

Last year, Tatum came off the bench for Team USA and scored 15 points in 26 minutes. He shot 7-of-13 in the game. Celtics teammate Jaylen Brown started that game and scored a game-high 35 points on 14-of-21 shooting.

Despite some speculation that rookie big man Robert Williams might join Tatum in the game, Boston will have just the one representative.

The Rising Stars Game will be broadcast on TNT at 9:00 PM EST on Friday, February 15th.

Kyrie Irving will also represent the Celtics at All-Star Weekend, as he was named a starter in the All-Star Game. Irving will find out if he will play as a part of Team Giannis (Antetokounmpo) or Team LeBron (James) when the NBA conducts the All-Star Draft on Thursday, February 7th.

Irving will also be the Honorary Coach of Team USA during the Rising Stars Game. Dirk Nowitzki will be the Honorary Coach for Team World.

All-Star reserves, as selected by the NBA coaches, will announced this Thursday, January 31st. Tatum and Al Horford are expected to draw some consideration from Eastern Conference coaches for a reserve spot.

Participants in the NBA Skills Challenge, Slam Dunk Contest and Three-point Shootout will be announced this week as well.