Sacramento Kings forward selected as NBA unveils Rising Stars players for All-Star Weekend
Kings forward Keegan Murray is going to All-Star Weekend for the second time to compete in the 2024 NBA Rising Stars tournament.
Murray, a second-year forward from Iowa, was one of 28 NBA rookies, sophomores and G League players chosen to participate in the annual event Feb. 16 at Gainbridge Field House in Indianapolis.
Other top young NBA players participating in the event will include 2023 Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero of the Orlando Magic; San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama; Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren; Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey; Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin; and the Portland Trail Blazers’ duo of Scott Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe.
This year’s Rising Stars event will feature 21 NBA rookies and sophomores and seven G League players competing in a three-game mini-tournament. Honorary coaches Tamika Catchings, Pau Gasol and Jalen Rose will draft seven-man teams from the pool of NBA players. Detlef Schrempf will coach the fourth team, which will consist entirely of G League players.
Semifinal games will be played to a target score of 40. The championship game will be played to a target score of 25.
Murray, 23, is a 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward who came out of Iowa as the No. 4 pick in the 2022 NBA draft. He has taken his game to another level this season after being named an All-NBA First Team selection in 2023.
As a rookie, Murray averaged 12.2 points and 4.6 rebounds while making a rookie record 206 3-point goals. This season, Murray is averaging 15.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 steals for the Kings, who are fifth in the Western Conference going into Wednesday’s game against the Miami Heat. He is shooting 46.2% from the field and 36.1% from 3-point range while demonstrating three-level scoring ability and remarkable development as a defensive stopper.
Murray scored a career-high 47 points in a win over the Utah Jazz on Dec. 16. He went 12 of 15 from 3-point range, setting a franchise record for 3-point goals in a game.
Murray is viewed as a potential All-Star and a key piece of Sacramento’s core along with the All-NBA duo of De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. Murray is coveted around the league as the Feb. 8 NBA trade deadline nears, but sources have told The Sacramento Bee the Kings have been unwilling to include him in those discussions.
2024 Rising Stars
NBA Rookies
Bilal Coulibaly, Washington Wizards
Keyonte George, Utah Jazz
Jordan Hawks, New Orleans Pelicans
Scott Henderson, Portland Trail Blazers
Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder
Jaime Jaquez Jr., Miami Heat
Dereck Lively II, Dallas Mavericks
Brandon Miller, Charlotte Hornets
Brandin Podziemski, Golden State Warriors
Cason Wallace, Oklahoma City Thunder
Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
NBA sophomores
Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic
Dyson Daniels, New Orleans Pelicans
Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons
Jaden Ivey, Detroit Pistons
Walker Kessler, Utah Jazz
Bennedict Mathurin, Indiana Pacers
Keegan Murray, Sacramento Kings
Shaedon Sharpe, Portland Trail Blazers
Jabari Smith Jr., Houston Rockets
Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder
NBA G League
Izam Almansa, G League Ignite
Matas Buzelis, G League Ignite
Ron Holland, G League Ignite
Mac McClung, Osceola Magic
Tyler Smith, G League Ignite
Oscar Tshiebwe, Indiana Mad Ants
Alondes Williams, Sioux Falls Skyforce
