Three Hornets Made The 2020 NBA Rising Stars Roster
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The NBA announced on Friday that three Charlotte Hornet players would be participating in the 2020 NBA Rising Stars. This is the first time that three Charlotte players have been selected to participate in the event.
Miles Bridges, Devonte’ Graham and PJ Washington will participate for the first time in the event featuring rookies and second year players.
For the sixth consecutive year the contest will feature a USA versus the World format. The game will pit first- and second-year players from the U.S. against first- and second-year players from around the world.
The 10-man rosters for the game were selected by assistant coaches from each NBA team.
Bridges, Graham and Washington are the first Hornets players to play in the game since Frank Kaminsky appeared in the game in 2017, according to a release.
The game will be a part of NBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago that will take place at the United Center and will air on February 14 at 9 p.m. on TNT.
About the Players:
Bridges, a second-year forward, is averaging 12.2 points, tied with Washington as the team’s third-leading scorer, 5.4rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. The Flint, MI, native is one of five second-year players to rank among the top 10 sophomores in both points and rebounds per game, ranking ninth in both.
In his second year, Graham leads the team in scoring with a career-high 18.2 points per game and is averaging career highs in assists (7.6), rebounds (3.6) and three point field goals per game (3.6), while shooting career-best percentages from the field (37.4), three-point line (37.9) and free-throw line (81.8). Graham’s 7.6 assists per game rank seventh in the NBA and third among all first- and second-year players. The Kansas product has tallied 13 points-assists double-doubles this season, the fifth-most in the NBA this year. A native of Raleigh, NC, Graham became just the second player in NBA history to total 125 three-pointers and 250 assists in the first 35 games of a season, joining James Harden as the only players ever to do so.
Washington is averaging 12.2 points in his rookie campaign, joining Bridges as the team’s the third-leading scorers for this season. The Kentucky product is at the top of the rookie class, ranking 10th in points, fourth in rebounds (5.3), eighth in assists (2.0), tied for seventh in steals (0.9), sixth in blocks (0.8) and seventh in threes per game (1.4), while shooting 40.1% from three. The 6-7 forward set an NBA record with seven three-pointers in his career debut vs. Chicago on October 23.
