All of a sudden, Ryan Dunn, and Ausar Thompson are going to San Francisco to join the All-Star festivities.
Dunn and Thompson joined Anthony Black of the Orlando Magic and Toumani Camara of the Portland Trail Blazers as replacements for the upcoming Rising Stars Challenge on Saturday, February 15.
Rookie Ryan Dunn of the Phoenix Suns and second-year NBA players Anthony Black of the Orlando Magic, Toumani Camara of the Portland Trail Blazers, and Ausar Thompson of the Detroit Pistons have been named replacements for the 2025 Castrol Rising Stars.
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 31, 2025
The 28th pick of the recent NBA Draft is set to fill the void left by Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain, who underwent a season-ending surgery after suffering lateral tear in his left meniscus.
Black is set to replace Dallas Mavericks big man Derek Lively, after he sustained a stress fracture in his right ankle and will be re-evaluated in four weeks.
Camara will play in place of Charlotte Hornet’s Brandon Miller, who also underwent a season-ending surgery to repair a torn scapholunate ligament in his right wrist.
Thompson, meanwhile, will play instead reigning Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama with the Spurs superstar set to play in the NBA All-Star Game after being voted as a reserve.
That is due to a new format this year as the winning team in the Rising Stars Challenge will enter in a four-team tournament alongside two separate teams featuring the All-Star selections and one team representing the NBA G League.
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An annual showcase of premier young talent, this edition of the event will consist of four-teams competing in three games to determine who will advance to compete in revamped All-Star Game mini-tournament.
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The Rising Stars draft is set on Wednesday, February 5 in which three, seven-man teams will emerge out of a pool of 21 players consist of 10 rookies and 11 sophomores.
