# Rising Stars Challenge
The Rising Stars Challenge is an NBA All-Star Weekend exhibition that showcases the league's top first-year (rookie), second-year (sophomore), and selected G League players, first played in 1994 and now staged as a four-team mini-tournament on the Friday night of All-Star Weekend.[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-rising-stars-challenge) • [2](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/hugo-gonzalez-se-queda-fuera-del-rising-stars-del-all-star-de-la-nba-f202601-n/) Since 2025 the winning team has earned a place in the [NBA All-Star Game](https://www.edgepedia.org/nba-all-star-game) itself, competing against three teams of All-Stars in the Sunday tournament.[3](https://apnews.com/article/fb1717d0e471a10cbfc5406da9c430c3)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First played | 1994, as the "Rookie Game" at NBA All-Star Weekend in Minneapolis; the Phenoms beat the Sensations 74-68 and Anfernee Hardaway won MVP[4](https://www.nba.com/news/history-all-star-recap-1994) |
| Eligibility | Top NBA rookies, second-year players, and G League standouts[2](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/hugo-gonzalez-se-queda-fuera-del-rising-stars-del-all-star-de-la-nba-f202601-n/) |
| Current format | Four teams in a knockout mini-tournament; in 2026 semifinals were played to a target of 40 points and the final to 25[5](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/edgecombe-gana-el-show-del-futuro-f202602-n/) |
| Most recent edition | 2026 at Intuit Dome, Los Angeles: Team Vince 25, Team Melo 14; MVP VJ Edgecombe, 76ers[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-rising-stars-challenge) |
| All-Star Game link | From 2025, the Rising Stars winner qualified as the fourth team in the All-Star Game tournament[3](https://apnews.com/article/fb1717d0e471a10cbfc5406da9c430c3) |
| Broadcast | 2026 edition aired exclusively on Peacock, which is not Nielsen rated[6](https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2026/02/nba-all-star-saturday-ratings-viewership-nbc-debut-olympics-lead-in/) |
| Notable gap | The 2021 event was not played because All-Star events were compressed onto one night, though a roster was still named[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-rising-stars-challenge) |
## Origins and early formats
The event debuted at the 1994 All-Star Weekend as the "Rookie Game," and its first five editions did not pit rookies against second-year players at all. From 1994 to 1998 it featured two teams drawn entirely from that year's draft class; in 1994 the Phenoms, led by [Chris Webber](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-webber), beat the Sensations 74-68, with [Penny Hardaway](https://www.edgepedia.org/penny-hardaway) taking MVP honors over Webber in a surprise that was reversed in the Rookie of the Year balloting.[4](https://www.nba.com/news/history-all-star-recap-1994) The year-by-year record shows conference-based East versus West games from 1996 through 1998.[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-rising-stars-challenge)
After the 1999 lockout, the game returned in the rookie-versus-sophomore form that gave it its common name, the rookie-sophomore game. Victories traded back and forth between the two squads for three years, after which the second-year players strung together seven straight wins; the final two contests under that setup went to the rookies, with the more experienced group apparently losing enthusiasm for the event.[7](https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/report-nba-considering-altering-rookie-sophomore-game-to-feature-international-stars) The NBA's own history page records the sophomore run from 2003 through 2009, with MVPs including [Gilbert Arenas](https://www.edgepedia.org/gilbert-arenas), Amar'e Stoudemire, Andre Iguodala, and [Kevin Durant](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-durant).[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-rising-stars-challenge)
## Format changes
The event has been reworked repeatedly. In 2012 the NBA moved to a draft format in which former players now in the media picked teams from a mixed pool of rookies and sophomores, freely mixing players by experience as long as each team met positional requirements; the 2012 and 2013 editions were Team Chuck against Team Shaq, named for [Charles Barkley](https://www.edgepedia.org/charles-barkley) and [Shaquille O'Neal](https://www.edgepedia.org/shaquille-oneal).[7](https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/report-nba-considering-altering-rookie-sophomore-game-to-feature-international-stars) • [1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-rising-stars-challenge) In 2015 the league introduced a USA versus World format, pitting first- and second-year NBA players from the United States against first- and second-year players from around the world.[8](https://pr.nba.com/bbva-compass-rising-stars-challenge-format/) That structure ran through 2020, with the World teams winning in 2015, 2017, and 2018 and the USA teams in 2016, 2019, and 2020.[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-rising-stars-challenge)
**The mini-tournament era.** In 2022 the Clorox Rising Stars adopted a three-game mini-tournament, with a timed shooting competition called the Clorox Clutch Challenge between Games 2 and 3.[9](https://pr.nba.com/2022-clorox-rising-stars-format/) The 2023 and 2024 editions kept the tournament, with teams drafted by honorary coaches; in 2024, Team Jalen, named for [Jalen Rose](https://www.edgepedia.org/jalen-rose), beat Team Detlef 26-13 in the final behind [Jalen Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/jalen-williams), and [Bennedict Mathurin](https://www.edgepedia.org/bennedict-mathurin) won MVP.[10](https://www.nba.com/news/2024-nba-rising-stars) In 2025 the event's winner was folded into the main event: the NBA announced a four-team, three-game, one-night All-Star tournament in San Francisco in which three teams of eight All-Stars would be joined by the winner of the Rising Stars challenge for first- and second-year players.[3](https://apnews.com/article/fb1717d0e471a10cbfc5406da9c430c3) Team C beat Team G League 25-14, with Stephon Castle of the Spurs as MVP, and Team C advanced to the 2025 NBA All-Star Game mini-tournament.[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-rising-stars-challenge) • [19](https://www.nba.com/news/2025-nba-rising-stars?lid=9yujhoyo9x44)
## The 2026 edition
The 2026 Castrol Rising Stars was played on Friday, February 13, at the LA Clippers' Intuit Dome in Inglewood as part of NBA All-Star 2026, the first time the weekend came to that arena.[11](https://www.nba.com/news/2026-nba-rising-stars) • [2](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/hugo-gonzalez-se-queda-fuera-del-rising-stars-del-all-star-de-la-nba-f202601-n/) The four teams were led by honorary coaches [Carmelo Anthony](https://www.edgepedia.org/carmelo-anthony), Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, and [Austin Rivers](https://www.edgepedia.org/austin-rivers), three of them Hall of Famers, with an assistant coach from one of the All-Star Game coaching staffs serving as head coach of each team alongside them.[12](https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/carmelo-anthony-tracy-mcgrady-vince-carter-austin-rivers-to-coach-rising-stars-during-all-star-weekend/) • [11](https://www.nba.com/news/2026-nba-rising-stars)
In the final, Team Vince, coached by [Vince Carter](https://www.edgepedia.org/vince-carter) and captained by VJ Edgecombe, beat Team Melo 25-14, with Edgecombe named MVP.[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-rising-stars-challenge) • [5](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/edgecombe-gana-el-show-del-futuro-f202602-n/) The 76ers guard closed the semifinal against Team Tracy McGrady by scoring the last 10 points in a row, including two three-pointers, to finish 41-36, and his two free throws ended the championship game, which was played to a target of 25 points.[5](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/edgecombe-gana-el-show-del-futuro-f202602-n/)
## Reception and viewership
The event has drawn uneven audiences. Friday's Rising Stars Challenge fell to a historic low in 2023 with a 0.49 rating and 888,000 viewers on TNT, down 31 percent and 28 percent respectively from the previous year's 0.7 and 1.23 million.[13](https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2023/02/nba-all-star-ratings-viewership-record-low-tnt/) Earlier editions had been larger: TNT drew 1.6 million in 2015, the least-watched edition since at least 2007 at that time, and 1.46 million in 2019.[14](https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2015/02/nba-all-star-weekend-ratings-2015-celebrity-game-rising-stars-multi-year-lows-fashion-show/) • [15](https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2019/02/nba-all-star-saturday-ratings-increase/) In 2026 the game moved to Peacock exclusively, taking it outside Nielsen measurement entirely.[6](https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2026/02/nba-all-star-saturday-ratings-viewership-nbc-debut-olympics-lead-in/)
The 2026 edition also drew criticism over attendance: photos showed large sections of the $2 billion [Intuit Dome](https://www.edgepedia.org/intuit-dome) vacant, with one report describing the arena as roughly 95 percent empty during the game, and commentary noting that All-Star Friday has historically drawn lighter crowds than Saturday's dunk contest or Sunday's main event.[16](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nba-adam-silver-face-backlash-151007908.html) • [17](https://www.profootballnetwork.com/nba/nba-world-reacts-empty-arena-for-rising-stars-challenge-all-star-weekend/) The event's role in the All-Star Game has also been contested; [Draymond Green](https://www.edgepedia.org/draymond-green) criticized the selection of younger players, saying on air that players on the Rising Stars team do not deserve the privilege of playing on Sunday.[18](https://theforcefile.org/2025/04/08/everything-wrong-with-the-nba-all-star-game/)
## References
1. [NBA All-Star Rising Stars event history & year-by-year MVPs, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-rising-stars-challenge)
2. [Hugo González se queda fuera del Rising Stars del All Star de la NBA, AS](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/hugo-gonzalez-se-queda-fuera-del-rising-stars-del-all-star-de-la-nba-f202601-n/)
3. [NBA announces All-Star tournament plan for this season: 4 teams, 3 games, 1 night, AP](https://apnews.com/article/fb1717d0e471a10cbfc5406da9c430c3)
4. [1994 NBA All-Star recap, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/history-all-star-recap-1994)
5. [Edgecombe gana el 'show' del futuro, AS](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/edgecombe-gana-el-show-del-futuro-f202602-n/)
6. [NBA All-Star Saturday also hits high in broadcast TV debut, Sports Media Watch](https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2026/02/nba-all-star-saturday-ratings-viewership-nbc-debut-olympics-lead-in/)
7. [Report: NBA considering altering rookie-sophomore game to feature international stars, NBC Sports](https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/report-nba-considering-altering-rookie-sophomore-game-to-feature-international-stars)
8. [New USA vs. World format for BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge, NBA Communications](https://pr.nba.com/bbva-compass-rising-stars-challenge-format/)
9. [NBA introduces new format for 2022 Clorox Rising Stars, NBA Communications](https://pr.nba.com/2022-clorox-rising-stars-format/)
10. [Team Jalen knocks off Team Detlef to claim 2024 Panini Rising Stars, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/2024-nba-rising-stars)
11. [2026 Castrol Rising Stars: Team Vince tops Team Melo in Championship Game, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/2026-nba-rising-stars)
12. [Carmelo Anthony, Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, Austin Rivers to coach Rising Stars during All-Star weekend, NBC Sports](https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/carmelo-anthony-tracy-mcgrady-vince-carter-austin-rivers-to-coach-rising-stars-during-all-star-weekend/)
13. [NBA All-Star ratings hit new record-low, Sports Media Watch](https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2023/02/nba-all-star-ratings-viewership-record-low-tnt/)
14. [Ratings Roundup: NBA Celebrity Game, Rising Stars, Fashion Show, Sports Media Watch](https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2015/02/nba-all-star-weekend-ratings-2015-celebrity-game-rising-stars-multi-year-lows-fashion-show/)
15. [Ratings Inch Up For NBA All-Star Saturday, Sports Media Watch](https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2019/02/nba-all-star-saturday-ratings-increase/)
16. [NBA, Adam Silver Face Backlash After Empty Seats at All-Star Weekend, Yahoo Sports](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nba-adam-silver-face-backlash-151007908.html)
17. [NBA World Reacts to '95% Empty' Arena for Rising Stars Challenge, Pro Football Network](https://www.profootballnetwork.com/nba/nba-world-reacts-empty-arena-for-rising-stars-challenge-all-star-weekend/)
18. [OPINION: Everything Wrong With the NBA All-Star Game, The Force File](https://theforcefile.org/2025/04/08/everything-wrong-with-the-nba-all-star-game/)
19. [Team C knocks off Team G League to claim 2025 Castrol Rising Stars, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/2025-nba-rising-stars?lid=9yujhoyo9x44)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › NBA and WNBA (North American professional basketball) › NBA All-Star Game*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license