Ontario natives Murray, Brooks named to Rising Stars Game in Los Angeles
Kitchener native Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets and Mississauga native Dillon Brooks of the Memphis Grizzlies were selected to compete in the 2018 NBA Mountain Dew Kickstart Rising Stars Game at NBA All-Star Weekend on Friday, February 16th in Los Angeles.
Murray was a standout at Orangeville Prep before taking his talents to Kentucky then on to the NBA, while Brooks played his high school basketball at Father Henry Carr before the school adopted a prep program.
They will compete alongside fellow international rookies and sophomores as a part of Team World and will be taking on the likes of Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics and Lonzo Ball of the Los Angeles Lakers and the rest of Team USA.
This is the second selection to this event for Murray, as the 6’4” point guard played in last year’s event as a rookie in New Orleans. Not only did Murray just play in the event, but he excelled, pouring in 36 points including nine three-pointers in the process of being named the game’s Most Valuable Player. Murray will look to once again carry Team World to victory after a 150-141 win in last year’s contest.
Dillon Brooks will be playing in his first Rising Stars game and has excelled this season after being drafted 45th overall in this year’s entry draft. The 6’6” shooting guard from the University of Oregon has earned a starting spot in the rotation for the Grizzlies this season and has continued to grow on a game by game basis. Brooks will look to show his stuff in the All-Star spotlight for the first time.
Murray, 20, has played in 46 games this season for the Denver Nuggets, averaging 16.2 points per game and shooting 37% from three-point territory in 29 minutes a night.
Brooks, 22, has played in 47 games this season, starting in 39 of them for the Memphis Grizzlies. He is averaging 8.4 points per game and shooting 39% from three-point territory in 27 minutes a night.
You can catch Murray, Brooks and the rest of Team World in the Rising Stars Game on Friday, February 16th starting at 9:00 p.m. from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.