UVA Basketball alum Ryan Dunn will be on the court for the NBA All-Star Game Tournament on Sunday after his team won the four-team Rising Stars Challenge on Friday.
Dunn’s Team Candace, coached by WNBA legend Candace Parker, will face Shaq’s OGs, led by, guess who, on Sunday at 9:10 p.m. ET.
The Shaq’s OGs roster is led by a trio of the game’s top players – LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant.
The idea here from the NBA is to try to get something resembling actual competitive play on All-Star Weekend, by breaking the rosters into eight-man groups and playing shortened games that won’t be as taxing physically.
ICYMI
The Rising Stars Challenge had some fun games on Friday – starting with Team C winning its first game by a 40-34 final, led by 10 points from Utah guard Keyonte George.
A team of G Leaguers played its way into the final with a 40-39 win, with Rip City Remix guard Bryce McGowens giving his team the win with a walk-off three.
Team Candace won the spot in Sunday’s All-Star Game Tournament with a 25-14 win over the G Leaguers, with the Rising Stars MVP, Stephon Castle, a rookie with the San Antonio Spurs, leading the way with 12 points in the 25-14 victory.
ESPN.com analyst Kevin Pelton gave Dunn a B+ grade for his play in the two games, noting Dunn’s defense and the three assists that he recorded in the final.
Dunn, a 2024 first-round pick of the Phoenix Suns, is averaging 6.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game as a rookie, shooting 44.2 percent from the field and 31.0 percent from three.
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Chris Graham
