Keldon Johnson has been named to the Rising Stars Roster

The NBA has officially named second-year forward Keldon Johnson to the 2021 Rising Stars roster.

Although Keldon was selected to represent the U.S. Team, the league has dropped this event for the 2021 rendition of All-Star Weekend.

Picked 29th overall in the 2019 NBA Draft, Johnson is the only player selected outside of the lottery on the U.S. roster.

Averaging 14.3 points per game, the Kentucky University alumnus is the eighth-scoringest sophomore in the league this season.

The high-motor wing is now the first player to represent the Silver and Black at this exhibition since Jonathon Simmons in 2017.

Keldon joins Simmons, Kawhi Leonard, Tiago Splitter, Gary Neal, DeJuan Blair, Beno Udrih, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker as the only players in franchise history to earn this honor.

The six-five slasher has also been a significant contributor for an 18-13 San Antonio Spurs team that has mostly exceeded expectations up to this point. According to the Spurs official press release:

He is on track to become the first Spur in his second season to average at least 14.0 points and 6.0 rebounds since Tim Duncan in 1998-99.

Johnson is one of three Spurs in history (Duncan and David Robinson) to record multiple games with 25-plus points and 10-or-more rebounds in their first 50 career games. The former Kentucky Wildcat has posted five double-doubles on the season and has scored double figures in 21 games, including five games with 20-or-more. Among rookies and sophomores in the NBA this season, Johnson joins Zion Williamson and Michael Porter Jr. as the only three players averaging better than 14.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.