Trayce Jackson-Davis Named To NBA Rising Stars Roster; Kel'el Ware Left Off
The NBA announced rosters for the 2025 Rising Stars games Tuesday, and former Indiana Hoosier Trayce Jackson-Davis made the cut.
Now with the Golden State Warriors, Jackson-Davis was one of 11 "sophomores" to make the roster. The Rising Stars game also features 10 rookies and seven G-League players, but Miami Heat center and fellow Hoosier Kel'el Ware was not included.
The 2025 NBA Rising Stars games will begin at 9 p.m. ET on Feb. 14 on TNT. It will be a four-team tournament consisting of three total games.
Here's the full roster.
Jackson-Davis has started 36 games and appeared in 44 for the 22-23 Warriors. He's playing 20 minutes per game and averaging 8.2 points, 6.4 rebounds 2.2 assists and 0.8 blocks per game while shooting 57.1% from the field and 59.5% from the free throw line. He has 16 games with double-digit points and seven games with 10 or more rebounds.
Jackson-Davis was the 57th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft out of Indiana, where he was a first-team All-American in 2022-23 and averaged 20.9 points, 10.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.9 blocks per game. He graduated Indiana as the program's all-time leading rebounder and third on the all-time scoring list.
Ware being left off the roster comes as a bit of a surprise as he is currently the favorite to win the 2025 NBA Rookie of the Year award, according to the FanDuel Sportsbook. Ware has plus-155 odds to win the award, followed by San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle at plus-400, Washington Wizards center Alex Sarr at plus-450 and Memphis Grizzlies wing Jaylen Wells with plus-490 odds.
Ware has started four games and played in 30 for the 23-22 Heat. He's playing 16.8 minutes per game and averaging 8.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks while shooting 56.5% from the field, 42.6% from 3-point range and 72.7% at the free throw line.
On a per-game basis among rookies, Ware is 12th in scoring, sixth in rebounding and fifth in blocks. There is a chance he could make the Rising Stars roster as a replacement because Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain made the roster despite suffering a season-ending knee injury.
Related stories on Indiana basketball
- WARE MAKES FIRST CAREER START: Former Indiana Hoosier Kel'el Ware scored 20 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in his first career start for the Miami Heat. CLICK HERE
- TJD DUNKS ON WARE: Former Indiana Hoosiers Trayce Jackson-Davis and Kel'el Ware matched up Tuesday night in the NBA as the Golden State Warriors hosted the Miami Heat. Watch Jackson-Davis' highlight dunk below. CLICK HERE