Deron Williams, Jason Terry Named Coaches For Rising Stars Challenge
Jan 31, 2023, 2:58 PM | Updated: 4:03 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – Current Jazz coach Jason Terry and former Jazz player Deron Williams have been selected to coach in the NBA Rising Stars Challenge in Salt Lake City.
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There will be four teams, competing tournament-style in the Rising Stars Challenge. The four teams are Team Pau, Team Deron, Team Jason, and Team Joakim.
The game features 12 rookies, 12 sophomores, and 4 NBA G League Ignite players.
🌟 more familiar faces coming to @NBAAllStar 🌟
Assistant Coach @Jasonterry31 & Jazz alum @deronwilliams are two of the four coaches for the 2023 Rising Stars Game.#NBAAllStar | #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/REaZqJBNfB
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 31, 2023
Coaches for the Rising Stars Challenge
Former Jazz All-Star Deron Williams will return to Vivint Arena during All-Star weekend to coach the leagues Rising Stars.
Coaching Team Deron in the 2023 #JordanRisingStars… Deron Williams! pic.twitter.com/O0cfhhjed4
— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) January 31, 2023
Williams played in Utah for the first 5 years of his career. He made the 2010 All-Star game in Dallas as a member of the Jazz.
After leaving his basketball career behind, Williams stepped into the spotlight again in 2021 for a celebrity boxing match. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Williams had this to say about his fight with NFL running back Frank Gore.
“I wanted to fight in some way, shape or form,” says Williams. “Originally I didn’t think boxing was a way to do it because this celebrity boxing thing wasn’t really a thing until the last year and a half, two years when the Paul brothers kind of made it popular. I’m just looking at it as I’m fighting Frank Gore, and then you probably won’t hear from me for a while again.”
Williams won the fight via split decision.
These days, Williams is enjoying retirement. He recently got engaged to Utah Real Estate Professional Darcie McClellan.
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Jason Terry, former NBA sharpshooter and current assistant coach for the Utah Jazz, was also named as a coach for the game.
After interviewing for the head coach vacancy following Quin Snyder’s departure, Terry joined Will Hardy’s staff in July of 2022.
Coaching Team Jason in the 2023 #JordanRisingStars… Jason Terry! pic.twitter.com/zdB1dzABfP
— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) January 31, 2023
Terry did much of his post-retirement work in the G League. He filled a General Manager and Head Coach role for two teams in two years.
In 19 seasons in the NBA, Terry averaged 13.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game in 1,410 games played.
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The NBA Rising Stars Challenge is on Friday, February 17, at 7 p.m.
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The game features all of the best first-year and second-year players in the association going head-to-head. In past years, the game has been played as ‘Rookies vs. Sophomores’ and ‘Team USA vs. Team World’. After a format change last season, it is now a tournament-style event with scoring goals in each round.
It was recently announced that Jazz rookie Walker Kessler will be participating in the game.
Earning his 1st #JordanRisingStars selection… Walker Kessler of the @utahjazz!@WalkerKessler13 was drafted as the 22nd overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft out of Auburn.
See his highlights, stats and MORE, now in the NBA App: https://t.co/p1hDsSC3NJ pic.twitter.com/sRziuiWTxx
— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) January 31, 2023
Tickets for the NBA Rising Stars Challenge are available here.
Chandler Holt is a Digital Sports Producer for KSLSports.com, specializing in all things basketball and football. Follow Chandler on Twitter at @ChandlerHoltKSL.
