NEW YORK – Two dozen top NBA Development League players, including 15 with NBA experience, have been selected to play in the 2017 NBA D-League All-Star Game presented by Kumho Tire.  The game, which will air live on NBA TV, tips off on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 2:30 p.m. ET from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.

Six current NBA players, including five who have earned GATORADE Call-Ups to the NBA this season, highlight the 12-man East and West rosters.  The East team features Yogi Ferrell (Long Island Nets/Dallas Mavericks), Ray McCallum (Grand Rapids Drive/Charlotte Hornets) and Chris McCullough (Long Island Nets/Brooklyn Nets).  The West team is headlined by Johnny O’Bryant III (Northern Arizona Suns/Denver Nuggets), Briante Weber (Sioux Falls Skyforce/Golden State Warriors) and Okaro White (Sioux Falls Skyforce/Miami Heat).

An additional nine players with NBA experience have been selected to play in the 11^th annual game: Anthony Brown (Erie BayHawks), Eric Moreland (Canton Charge) and Edy Tavares (Raptors 905) in the East, and Keith Benson (Sioux Falls Skyforce), Vander Blue (Los Angeles D-Fenders), Justin Harper (Los Angeles D-Fenders), Pierre Jackson (Texas Legends), Cory Jefferson (Austin Spurs) and JaKarr Sampson (Iowa Energy) in the West.

The East team, coached by two-time NBA All-Star and Raptors 905 head coach Jerry Stackhouse, is rounded out by Quinn Cook (Canton Charge), Marcus Georges-Hunt (Maine Red Claws), Jalen Jones (Maine Red Claws), Shawn Long (Delaware 87ers), Abdel Nader (Maine Red Claws) and Alex Poythress (Fort Wayne Mad Ants).

The West team also includes Dennis Clifford (Santa Cruz Warriors), Dakari Johnson (Oklahoma City Blue) and Josh Magette (Los Angeles D-Fenders).  Los Angeles D-Fenders head coach Coby Karl, an NBA and NBA D-League veteran, will lead the West.

Six of the NBA D-League’s top 10 scorers were selected as All-Stars, with Cook (25.8 ppg), Blue (24.8 ppg) and Nader (22.5 ppg) ranking in the top five.  Three of the league’s top five rebounders will also play in the game: Moreland (11.7 rpg), Long (11.2 rpg) and Benson (10.7 rpg).  Magette (9.5 apg) leads the league in assists.

The 2017 NBA D-League All-Stars were selected by a combined vote of the league’s 22 head coaches and all players in the league on Jan. 29.  Players were eligible to be selected if they competed in at least half of their teams’ games through that date.  They must be on an active NBA D-League roster at the time of the All-Star Game to participate.  The league will replace any injured or ineligible players prior to the game.

The 2017 NBA D-League All-Star teams are below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the NBA Development League
The NBA Development League is the NBA’s official minor league, preparing players, coaches, officials, trainers, and front-office staff for the NBA while acting as the league’s research and development laboratory.  Featuring 22 teams with direct affiliations with NBA franchises for the 2016-17 season, the league offers elite professional basketball at an affordable price in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere.  An all-time high 38 percent of all NBA players at the end of the 2015-16 season boasted NBA D-League experience.  In fostering the league’s connection to the community, its teams, players and staff promote health and wellness, support local needs and interests, and assist in educational development through NBA D-League Cares programs.  NBA D-League games are available on ESPN’s family of networks, Facebook Live and NBA TV.