Rookie Josh Giddey Will Represent OKC Thunder At NBA All-Star Weekend

Rookie Josh Giddey has been spectacular this season for the Oklahoma City Thunder. The sixth overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, he’s emerged as a franchise cornerstone for the Thunder and one of the best players in his class. 

Standing at 6-foot-9, Giddey is a versatile guard out of Australia that’s able to impact the game on both ends of the floor with his size. He’s earned both NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month awards at this point in the season. 

His next honor will be representing Oklahoma City in Cleveland at NBA All-Star weekend. Giddey will compete in the 2022 Clorox Rising Stars event, which will be played on Friday, Feb. 18 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. 

The 19-year-old has posted averages of 11.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game this season. Giddey is eighth in points, third in rebounds and first in assists per game among rookies. 

Currently the second youngest player in the NBA, he leads the Thunder in both rebounds and assists this season. He also recently became the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple double. 

TNT will televise the Clorox Rising Stars event at at 9 p.m. ET, as the best young talent in the league will be showcased. The event itself will feature four seven-player teams competing in a mini-tournament consisting of three games in a brand new format.

Each of these contests will be played to a Final Target Score, similar to the newer format of the NBA All-Star Game. As such, these games will end with a made basket or a made free throw instead of with the clock running out.

The 28 players that were selected for Clorox Rising Stars were selected by NBA assistant coaches, with each of the league’s 30 teams submitting one ballot per coaching staff. The roster consists of 12 first-year NBA players, 12 second-year NBA players and four elite young players from NBA G League Ignite.

NBA legends who were named to the league’s 75th Anniversary Team and assistant coaches from the 2022 NBA All-Star Game coaching staffs will comprise the combined coaching staffs for Clorox Rising Stars.  

The rosters will be finalized through a draft process, where these coaches will select their team rosters in the Rising Stars Draft. Each team will be made up of seven players, including one G League Ignite player. 

It’s an honor for Giddey to be selected as part of this group, pinning him as one of the 12 best rookies in his class. He’ll represent both OKC and Australia as he competes against the other rising young stars of the NBA.