Booker and Chriss selected for Rising Stars Challenge
PHOENIX – The NBA announced today Phoenix Suns second-year guard Devin Booker and rookie forward Marquese Chriss have been selected to play for the U.S. Team in the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge on Friday, Feb. 17, at NBA All-Star 2017 in New Orleans.
Booker earned the honor by averaging 20.6 points this season, second-highest among all first- and second-year players in the NBA. The 20-year-old has an active streak of 10 consecutive games scoring at least 20 points, averaging 27.3 points on 49.0 percent from the field and 53.6 percent from three-point range over this 10-game stretch. Booker has achieved his career-high of 39 points three times this season, including in back-to-back games in Mexico City from Jan. 12-14; in doing so, he became the youngest player in NBA history to record consecutive games scoring at least 39 points.
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Chriss ranks seventh among NBA rookies, and third among those born in the U.S., with an average of 7.2 points. He has appeared in 45 games, including 38 starts, and has scored in double-figures 12 times. Chriss, the No. 8 overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft, scored a career-high 18 points vs. Miami on Jan. 3, and recorded his first career double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds vs. New York on Dec. 13.
Booker, who scored 23 points in the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge last year in Toronto, joins Amar’e Stoudemire as the only Suns to play in the NBA All-Star Weekend event twice. Chriss is the 10th player in franchise history to participate in the Rising Stars Challenge, joining Wesley Person (1995), Trevor Ruffin (1995), Michael Finley (1996), Steve Nash (1997), Shawn Marion (2001), Stoudemire (2003; 2004-MVP), Markieff Morris (2012), Miles Plumlee (2014) and Booker (2016; 2017).
The rest of the U.S. roster features guards Malcolm Brogdon of the Bucks and D'Angelo Russell of the Lakers, swing man Jonathon Simmons of the Spurs, forward Brandon Ingram of the Lakers and centers Frank Kaminsky of the Hornets, Jahlil Okafor of the 76ers, Karl-Anthony Towns of the Timberwolves and Myles Turner of the Pacers.
The World team features guards Emmanuel Mudiay and Jamal Murray of the Nuggets, Dante Exum of the Jazz and Buddy Hield of the Pelicans, forwards Trey Lyles of the Jazz, Kristaps Porzingis of the Knicks, Domantas Sabonis of the Thunder and Dario Saric of the 76ers, and centers Joel Embiid of the 76ers and Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets.
