DURHAM, N.C. – The Duke men's basketball program will be well represented at this year's NBA All-Star Weekend in Toronto, as three former Blue Devils will play in the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge and one former Duke star will compete in the Foot Locker Three-Point Contest at Air Canada Centre.
Former Duke standouts Rodney Hood, Jahlil Okafor and Jabari Parker will all suit up for the U.S. team in the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge on Friday night (9 p.m. ET, TNT). The three players in the game from Duke are the most from any one school.
For the second consecutive year, the league's annual showcase of young talent will pit 10 first and second-year NBA players from the United States against 10 first and second-year NBA players from around the world.
Hood is having a breakout season in his second year in the NBA, ranking third in scoring (14.9 points per game) for a Utah Jazz team that stands in seventh place in the loaded Western Conference. The 23rd overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft is also chipping in 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per night for the Jazz.
Hood's scoring output this season is 6.2-point improvement over the 8.7 points he averaged as a rookie.
The third overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Okafor leads all rookies in scoring with a team-high average of 17.0 points per game for the Philadelphia 76ers. He also ranks third among NBA rookies in rebound average (7.3) and double-doubles (10).
Parker was the second overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks and was having a standout rookie season before suffering a season-ending knee injury before the All-Star break. In 47 games since returning to the Milwaukee lineup this season, Parker has averaged 11.2 points on 48.5 percent shooting from the floor. He also averages 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per outing for a Bucks team looking to make a second-half surge for a playoff spot.
Saturday's Foot Locker Three-Point Contest will feature a star-studded lineup that includes the NBA's current leader in three-point field goal percentage, former Duke star J.J. Redick. This year's event will mark Redick's second consecutive appearance in the three-point contest at All-Star Weekend.
The 11th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, Redick is having a monster year for the Los Angeles Clippers, averaging 16.2 points and shooting an NBA-best 47.8 percent from beyond the arc. He has started 48 games for a Clippers team that heads into the All-Star break in fourth place in the Western Conference.
In 2014-15, Redick set a Clippers single-season record with 200 three-pointers, becoming the first player in franchise history to ever hit that mark.
The Foot Locker Three-Point Contest will be televised at 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday night on TNT.
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