Scottie Barnes Will Participate in NBA Skills Competition
Scottie Barnes is certainly making the most of All-Star Weekend.
Not only will the Toronto Raptors rookie guard be participating in the Rising Stars Game, but Barnes has agreed to take part in the NBA Skills Compeition, the league announced Tuesday. He becomes the fourth Raptors player to participate in the challenge, joining DeMar DeRozan (2014), Kyle Lowry (2015) and Pascal Siakam (2020).
The event will take place at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, Feb. 19, in Cleveland. Barnes will compete alongside fellow rookies Cade Cunningham and Josh Giddey as one of three teams in the new four-round competition. He will take on three Cavaliers players Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland, and Evan Mobley, as well as the Antetokounmpo brothers, Giannis, Thanasis, and Alex, who plays for the Raptors 905.
The players compete in a round of challenges that test shooting, passing, and dribbling ability. The two teams with the most points after the first three rounds will advance to the final round where a winning team will be decided.
Barnes will be joined in Cleveland by Fred VanVleet who was officially announced as a contestant in the three-point contest. VanVleet will take on Zach LaVine, Karl-Anthony Towns, Trae Young, Desmond Bane, Luke Kennard, CJ McCollum, and Patty Mills. He becomes the fifth Raptors player to participate in the challenge, joining Walt Williams (1997), Jason Kapono (2008-09), Lowry (2016-18), and Danny Green (2019).
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