The NBA announced today that Philadelphia 76ers’ Ben Simmons has been selected as a participant for MTN DEW ICE Rising Stars during NBA All-Star 2019. The game will be played on Friday, Feb. 15 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on TNT and ESPN Radio.
This is the sixth straight season in which the 76ers have had at least one player named to the event.
Simmons (Australia) will represent the World Team for the second consecutive season. This season, he is averaging 16.6 points, 9.5 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game while shooting .581 percent from the field. He leads all first and second-year players in assists per game, while ranking third in both rebounds per game and field-goal percentage.
The Australia native has recorded eight triple-doubles this season, good for first in the Eastern Conference and second in the NBA behind only Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook. Simmons recently notched his 20th career triple-double in his 129th NBA game; the only player ever to reach the mark faster is Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson, who did so in just 45 appearances.
During the week of Jan. 7-13, Simmons held averages of 18.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 10.3 assists per game. He is the only player in the Eastern Conference to average a triple-double over a single week this season.
The Louisiana State product holds career averages of 16.1 points, 8.7 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game and was named the 2017-18 Kia Rookie of the Year last season.
The 25th Rising Stars will pit 10 first- and second-year NBA players from the United States against 10 first- and second-year NBA players from around the world in the league’s annual showcase of premier young talent during NBA All-Star. MTN DEW ICE will serve as the title partner, expanding on its continued commitment to supporting up-and-coming stars throughout the sport.
Boston’s Kyrie Irving (U.S. Team) and Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki (World Team) will serve as honorary coaches in MTN DEW ICE Rising Stars. The official Rising Stars head coaches will be an assistant coach from each 2019 NBA All-Star Game coaching staff. The All-Star Game coaching staffs are determined by the best record in each conference through games played on Sunday, Feb. 3.
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