Blazers' Toumani Camara Selected to Participate in Special All-Star Weekend Event

Jeremy Hanna | Jan 31, 2025

Jan 24, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara (33) during the second quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images / Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

The NBA All-Star Weekend is almost upon us, promising tons of exciting events alongside the highly-anticipated All-Star games.

Unfortunately, it seemed that the Portland Trail Blazers had essentially been left out of the festivities due to being in 13th place in the Western Conference with a 19-29 record.

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While this seems bad, the Blazers have actually been on a roll, winning six of their last seven games, including a surprise 125-112 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.

This is partially because of power forward Toumani Camara, who has been a monster lately and is proving to be a surprise talent for Portland. And it seems the NBA noticed.

The NBA recently announced that Camara will be a replacement on the Rising Stars roster. He received this honor alongside Ryan Dunn of the Phoenix Suns, Anthony Black of the Orlando Magic, and Ausar Thompson of the Detroit Pistons.

Rookie Ryan Dunn of the Phoenix Suns and second-year NBA players Anthony Black of the Orlando Magic, Toumani Camara of the Portland Trail Blazers and Ausar Thompson of the Detroit Pistons have been named replacements for the 2025 Castrol Rising Stars. pic.twitter.com/rSBjihMMuO

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 31, 2025

Camara began his basketball career after joining the Georgia Bulldogs in 2019 where he would remain for two seasons before transferring to Dayton in 2021. With the Dayton Flyers, Camara was named third-team All-Atlantic 10 in 2022, first-team All-Atlantic 10 in 2023, and the Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team in 2023.

In his final collegiate year, Camara averaged 13.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game across 34 games.

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Camara declared for the 2023 NBA Draft where he was selected in the second round with the 52nd overall pick by the Phoenix Suns who proceeded to trade him to the Trail Blazers.

In his rookie year, Camara averaged 7.5 points, 4.9 total rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game across 70 games, 49 of which he started. Unfortunately, his season came to an early end when he fractured his rib and suffered a small kidney laceration.

Camara returned to Portland for the 2024-25 NBA Season, and he has improved in every single stat, averaging 9.9 points, 5.7 total rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game across 49 games.

Camara's best game to date came in a recent loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder where he recorded 24 points, nine total rebounds, and four assists.

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