Kawhi Leonard selected by Team Chuck in 2013 BBVA Rising Stars Contest

NEW YORK, Feb. 7, 2013 – With the first pick of the 2013 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge draft, TEAM SHAQ selected Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers while TEAM CHUCK picked Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Hornets second overall. TNT analysts Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal, general managers for the 2013 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge, made their player selections live on TNT.

Prior to the Draft, TNT’s Kenny Smith, the Honorary Commissioner of the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge, added Ricky Rubio of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Isaiah Thomas of the Sacramento Kings to the player pool. Prior to last year’s Draft, Smith added Norris Cole of the Miami Heat and Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks to the player pool.

Joining Lillard on TEAM SHAQ are Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers), Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons), Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes (Golden State Warriors), Chandler Parsons (Houston Rockets), Dion Waiters (Cleveland Cavaliers), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Charlotte Bobcats), Tyler Zeller (Cleveland), and Kemba Walker (Charlotte).

In addition to Davis, TEAM CHUCK is comprised of Rubio, Thomas, Kenneth Faried (Denver Nuggets), Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs), Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards), Tristan Thompson (Cleveland), Nikola Vucevic (Orlando Magic), Brandon Knight (Detroit), Isaiah Thomas (Sacramento Kings), and Alexey Shved (Minnesota Timberwolves).

The 2013 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge will be played Friday, Feb. 15, in Houston as part of NBA All-Star 2013. During the game, fans will be able to vote for the MVP via Twitter, online and on mobile devices at NBA.com, through the NBA Game Time and NBA Game Time from Sprint apps, and SMS texting. This is the first time that fans will be able to vote via social media for the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge MVP.

This marks the second straight year rookies and sophomores will be mixed together on teams. Last year in Orlando, Irving netted a game-high 34 points and MVP honors as he led TEAM CHUCK over TEAM SHAQ 146-133.

The head coaches for both teams are the lead assistant coaches from the 2013 NBA All-Star Game coaching staffs. The Miami Heat’s David Fizdale will lead TEAM SHAQ and the San Antonio Spurs’ Mike Budenholzer will man the sidelines for TEAM CHUCK.

The BBVA Rising Stars Challenge will be televised live nationally on TNT at 9 p.m. ET and also will be broadcast live on ESPN Radio, while NBA.com will make live audio available to fans in multiple languages.

Below are the rosters for the 2013 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge:

TEAM CHUCK

Prior to NBA/

Player Team Pos. Ht. Wt. Home Country Exp

Bradley Beal Washington G 6-5 207 Florida/USA R

Anthony Davis New Orleans F 6-10 220 Kentucky/USA R

Kenneth Faried Denver F 6-8 228 Morehead State/USA 1

Brandon Knight Detroit G 6-3 189 Kentucky/USA 1

Kawhi Leonard San Antonio F 6-7 225 San Diego State/USA 1

Ricky Rubio Minnesota G 6-4 180 FC Barcelona/Spain 1

Alexey Shved Minnesota G 6-6 182 CSKA/Russia R

Isaiah Thomas Sacramento G 5-9 185 Washington/USA 1

Tristan Thompson Cleveland F 6-9 227 Texas/Canada 1

Nikola Vucevic Orlando C 7-0 240 USC/USA 1

TEAM SHAQ

Prior to NBA/

Player Team Pos. Ht. Wt. Home Country Exp

Harrison Barnes Golden State F 6-8 210 North Carolina/USA R

Andre Drummond Detroit C 6-10 270 Connecticut/USA R

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Charlotte G-F 6-7 232 Kentucky/USA R

Kyrie Irving Cleveland G 6-3 191 Duke/USA 1

Damian Lillard Portland G 6-3 195 Weber State/USA R

Chandler Parsons Houston F 6-9 207 Florida/USA 1

Klay Thompson Golden State G 6-7 205 Washington State/USA 1

Dion Waiters Cleveland G 6-4 215 Syracuse/USA R

Kemba Walker Charlotte G 6-1 185 Connecticut/USA 1

Tyler Zeller Cleveland F/C 7-0 250 North Carolina/USA R

PREVIOUS BBVA RISING STARS CHALLENGE RESULTS

1994 - Phenoms 74, Sensations 68

1995 - White 83, Green 79 (OT)

1996 - East 94, West 92

1997 - East 96, West 91

1998 - East 85, West 80

2000 - Rookies 92, Sophomores 81 (OT)

2001 - Sophomores 121, Rookies 113

2002 - Rookies 103, Sophomores 97

2003 - Sophomores 132, Rookies 112

2004 - Sophomores 142, Rookies 118

2005 - Sophomores 133, Rookies 106

2006 - Sophomores 106, Rookies 96

2007 - Sophomores 155, Rookies 114

2008 - Sophomores 136, Rookies 109

2009 - Sophomores 122, Rookies 116

2010 - Rookies 140, Sophomores 128

2011 - Rookies 148, Sophomores 140

2012 – TEAM CHUCK 146, TEAM SHAQ 133