Canadian forwards Andrew Wiggins of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Kelly Olynyk of the Boston Celtics have been selected to the World Team roster of the NBA’s Rising Stars Challenge, an exhibition contest that showcases the league’s best and brightest first- and second-year players.
Wiggins, a Thornhill, Ont. native, is the leading rookie scorer, pouring in 15.2 points per game on 42.9 percent shooting.
Olynyk is a seven-foot sophomore hailing from Kamloops, B.C. and averages 11.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game on 50.6 percent shooting.
It’s possible that Olynyk will be forced to miss the game as he has been sidelined with a sprained right ankle and is expected to be out for at least two weeks.
Playing alongside the two Canadians on the World Team will be the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Steven Adams, the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Brooklyn Nets’ Bojan Bogdanovic, Wiggins’ Minnesota teammate Gorgui Dieng, Dante Exum and Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz, Nikola Mirotic of the Chicago Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks’ Dennis Schroder.
Facing the World Team will be a roster comprised of American players. That Roster will feature reigning rookie of the year Michael Carter-Williams and his Philadelphia 76ers teammate Nerlens Noel, two more of Wiggins’ Timberwolves teammates Zach LaVine and Shabazz Muhammad, the Jazz’s Trey Burke, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope of the Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic guards Victor Oladipo and Elfrid Payton, the Nets’ Mason Plumlee and the Charlotte Hornets’ Cody Zeller.
The Rising Stars Challenge goes on February 13.
