The 2025 NBA All-Star festivities got underway on Friday night in the Bay Area, and the Golden State Warriors were well represented. In addition to having some representation in the Celebrity Game, three Warriors were in action in the Castrol Rising Stars tournament: Trayce Jackson-Davis, Brandin Podziemski, and Pat Spencer.
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And the bragging rights go to TJD!
Jackson-Davis, who was drafted to Team C — coached by Warriors legend Chris Mullin — had to go through both of his teammates. The new Rising Stars format splits the players into four teams: three squads comprised of rookies and sophomores, and a fourth team made up of G League players. Those teams play a single-elimination tournament, with the semifinals being an untimed game to 40, and the championship being an untimed game to 25.
And the prize? A spot in Sunday’s tournament against the NBA All-Stars.
Team C, which featured Jackson-Davis alongside fellow sophomore Keyonte George (Utah Jazz), as well as rookies Stephon Castle (San Antonio Spurs), Zach Edey (Memphis Grizzlies), Dalton Knecht (Los Angeles Lakers), Jaylen Wells (Memphis Grizzlies), and Ryan Dunn (Phoenix Suns) faced off against Team T in the first round.
Team T — coached by another Warriors legend, Tim Hardaway — featured Podziemski and second-year pros Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Miami Heat), Gradey Dick (Toronto Raptors), and Anthony Black (Orlando Magic), in addition to rookies Zaccharie Risacher (Atlanta Hawks), Alex Sarr (Washington Wizards), and Tristan da Silva (Magic).
It was a back-and-forth game, with Team C leading most of the way, and winning 40-34. Jackson-Davis finished the game with six points on 3-for-4 shooting, while Podziemski, who was an injury replacement, had two points, two rebounds, and three assists, but shot 1-for-4. Neither player started for their team, which felt a little funny given that they were the home players, but they also haven’t been having as good of seasons as the youngsters who did start.
