Oscar Tshiebwe, Cason Wallace among former Wildcats named NBA Rising Stars

This year’s NBA All-Star Weekend will (once again) be filled with former Kentucky Wildcats — not just for the main event, either.

On Tuesday, the league announced the 28 participants for the upcoming 2023-24 edition of the Rising Stars event, which showcases the best rookies and sophomores halfway through the regular season. The players were split into three different groups: rookies, sophomores, and G League players. Kentucky has one representative from all three.

Cason Wallace of the Oklahoma City Thunder was named to the Rookie team, Shaedon Sharpe of the Portland Trail Blazers was tabbed to the Sophomore team, and Oscar Tshiebwe (on a two-way contract with the Indiana Pacers, the All-Star weekend host team) of the Indiana Mad Ants cracked the G League team.

The 2024 Panini Rising Stars ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/sThgZNvwxV

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 30, 2024

Wallace has been one of the most impactful rookies in the NBA this season. He’s started seven of his 47 games played, averaging 6.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 21.1 minutes per outing for an OKC team surpassing preseason expectations. Even in a rookie class that features superstars Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren, Wallace has still stood out.

As for Sharpe, yes, we’re still calling him a “former” Wildcat. Although he’s missed a decent amount of games this season due to injuries and has not played since Jan. 12, he’s still averaging 15.9 points, five rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 33.1 minutes per game for the Blazers in just his second NBA season.

Lastly, Tshiebwe — the lone player on a two-way contract to make the Rising Stars roster — has only appeared in six NBA games for the Pacers this season, averaging 3.5 points and two rebounds per game. But his production in the G League for the Mad Ants has been about what you might expect. Big O is averaging 12 points and 12.1 rebounds per game on 57.8 percent shooting. On Monday, he was named to the G League’s “Up Next Game”, which will also take place in Indianapolis at All-Star weekend.

The Rising Stars format is a tad confusing for those unfamiliar. The 28 players selected will be split into four different teams consisting of seven players each. The G League (Tshiebwe) will be its own team, while the remaining 21 players will be drafted through the Rising Stars Draft on Tuesday, Feb. 6 at 4 p.m. EST live on the NBA app.

From there, three games are scheduled for Friday, Feb. 19, and will begin at 9:00 p.m. EST on TNT to kick off All-Star weekend in Indy. Two semifinal games will be played first with a target score of 40 points. The two winners will then advance to the championship game, set to follow immediately after, which will use a target score of 25 points.