George, Kessler selected to play in Rising Stars Game

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 Sports) – The Utah Jazz are a team on the rise, so it comes as no surprise that two Jazz players were selected to play in the NBA Rising Stars Game during All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis.

The game is set to be played on Feb. 16 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis at 7 p.m. MT, and aired on TNT. The duo are the first pair to represent the Jazz in the contest since the 2016-17 season.

George has appeared in 42 games (16 starts) averaging 11.0 points, 4.3 assists, and 2.8 rebounds in 24.2 minutes per contest. He ranks second among qualified NBA rookies in assists per game (4.3) and free throw percentage (82.1), sixth in points per game (11.0), and ninth in minutes per game (24.2). He’s only the second Jazz rookie to total over 450 points, 180 assists, and 110 rebounds in his first 42 games. The 20-year-old has tallied 20-or-more points four times, pouring in a career-best 30 points, adding seven assists, and three boards against Oklahoma City on Dec. 11.

Jazz get blown out in Brooklyn, 147-114

Kessler is in his second NBA season and was named to the All-NBA Rookie First Team, selected as a Rising Star, and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting last year. In 2023-24, the 22-year-old is averaging 8.5 points on 65.7 percent shooting from the field, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game. His 2.7 blocks per contest are third in the NBA on the year and he’s logged eight games with five-plus blocks on the year, which is tied for the second-most games with five-plus blocks in the NBA this season. Over the past two seasons, Kessler has swatted 279 shots which is the second-most in the NBA over that span.

George and Kessler become the 15th and 16th Jazz player to participate in a Rising Stars or rookie challenge, joining Bryon Russell (1994), Andrei Kirilenko (2002, 2003), Deron Williams (2006, 2007), Paul Millsap (2007, 2008), Ronnie Brewer (2008), Derrick Favors (2012), Gordon Hayward (2012), Trey Burke (2014, 2015), Rodney Hood (2015), Rudy Gobert (2015), Danté Exum (2015, 2017), Raul Neto (2016), Trey Lyles (2016, 2017), and Donovan Mitchell (2017, 2018).

The annual showcase of premier young talent, featuring a mini-tournament with four teams and three games, consists of a player pool of 11 NBA rookies, 10 second-year NBA players and seven NBA G League players. The 21 NBA players, selected by NBA assistant coaches, will be drafted onto three seven-player teams. The seven NBA G League players, selected by the league office, will comprise the fourth team.

Jazz set franchise records in 134-122 victory at Charlotte

Six-time NBA All-Star and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Pau Gasol will return as one of the four honorary head coaches after leading his team to the Rising Stars championship last year. Joining Gasol as honorary head coaches are Indiana Fever legend and 10-time WNBA All-Star Tamika Catchings and former Indiana Pacers standouts Jalen Rose and Detlef Schrempf.

All three games in Panini Rising Stars will be played to a Final Target Score, meaning each game will end with a made basket or a made free throw instead of with the clock running out.  The semifinal games will be played to a Final Target Score of 40. The championship game will be played to a Final Target Score of 25.

Team A will face Team B in the first semifinal (Game 1), and Team C will play Team D in the second semifinal (Game 2). The winner of Game 1 will meet the winner of Game 2 in the championship (Game 3).  The semifinal matchups will be announced at a later date.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.