NBA All-Star 2012: Kyrie Irving Can't Miss, Leads Team Chuck To 'Rising Stars' Win

While the Rising Stars Challenge didn't exactly resemble NBA basketball, it was a wildly entertaining event full of alley-oops, showtime dunks and minimal defense. Charles Barkley's team jumped out to an early lead in the game and never relinquished it, defeating Team Shaq 146-133.

Point guards featured prominently for both teams and were the stars of the show, with John Wall and Kyrie Irving leading Team Chuck. Ricky Rubio pulled off a few Pete Maravich-esque moves while going to the basket, but his biggest highlight was a dribble between the legs of DeMarcus Cousins before setting up Blake Griffin for an alley-oop.

Griffin had a number of massive dunks in the game and was almost matched on the other end by Paul George and Wall. Basically, the entire game was comprised of three-point shots and dunks with very little of anything else.

Irving led all scorers with 34 points, incredibly shooting 8-8 from behind the arc.

For coverage of the Rising Stars Challenge, keep checking this StoryStream. For all news and information regarding the NBA All-Star Game, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated NBA hub.

When we last saw MarShon Brooks, he was struggling to get up for a dunk on a 2-on-0 break. That time, Brooks' error led to a hilarious gif, but he wasn't done just yet. No, he managed to nearly top himself in the second half.

You can pretty much see Brooks' thought process here. He has a clean mid-range jumper, but thinks "nah, too easy." Instead, he backpedals all the way out to the three-point line, adding a bit of drama to the sequence. And then this happens.

Yep, he airballed it. All that setup for an airball. At this point, Brooks has his own little blooper reel from the Rising Stars Challenge. But we're thankful for him, because he's adding his own bit of flair to a game filled with dunks, ridiculous dribble moves and lobs.

Ricky Rubio is having a bit of fun in the Rising Stars Challenge and we're all winners as a result. Well, all of us except DeMarcus Cousins, who was the victim of a Rubio nutmeg. Cousins tried to stop the ball on a break at midcourt, but Rubio wasn't having any of it, and the result was a highlight reel play.

Here's Rubio going through Cousins' legs before lobbing to Blake Griffin.

I mean, it was a good try. He almost stopped Rubio. Also look at Rubio's face as he does it. I swear he's yelling "GOTCHA" as he runs on buy.

And here's your reminder that Blake Griffin is good at basketball, dunking and pretty much everything in between.

To recap: Ricky Rubio remains adorable and Blake Griffin remains beastly. Just another day in the NBA.

The 2012 Rising Stars Challenge is halfway in the books in Orlando, as the All-Star Weekend event pits teams of freshman and sophomore up-and-coming NBA stars against one another. The teams are coached by Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley, with Team Chuck holding a 77-65 lead at the half.

The score is perhaps a bit surprising, as Shaq's team seems more stocked with big names, notably Blake Griffin and everyone's favorite point guard, Jeremy Lin. In five minutes of play in the first half, Lin is 0-for-1 shooting with one assist, a nifty alley-oop to Griffin in the early going. Kyrie Irving of Team Chuck is the leading scorer so far, with 15 points.

To this point, the Rising Stars Challenge is a hotly-contested and serious affair, with no clowning whatsoever.

Okay, okay. There may be a little bit of clowning.

For coverage of the Rising Stars Challenge, keep checking this StoryStream. For all news and information regarding the NBA All-Star Game, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated NBA hub.

Marshon Brooks was all alone in the open court during the first half of the Rising Stars Challenge, with a chance for a little showtime. He was all ready to answer the call as he measured up what was sure to be a highlight reel dunk. And then he did what every young kid learning how to dunk does.

Here's Brooks' "attempt." It didn't work out so well.

That's Brooks' "I got this, I got this, oh no I don't got this ... quick play it off" move. He appeared to be trying to bounce it to himself for a windmill dunk and it just didn't happen for whatever reason. He may not have gotten enough on his jump or he may have lost the handle, but whatever the case it was hilarious.

The 2012 Rising Stars Challenge is not even half over yet but it's already offered its fair share of highlight reel moments. As expected, there have been plenty of dazzling dunks and alley-oops going around, but John Wall treated everyone to something rarely seen in an exhibition or All-Star Game: defense!

Norris Cole drove up the middle for what he thought was a easy lay-up but nope! Wall chased him down and rejected the shot in spectacular fashion. Check out the video:

And in case you wanted to watch the moment of truth over and over again on an unending loop (and of course you do), here is a GIF for your enjoyment:

Yep, just gonna be watching that for a little while over here.

For coverage of the Rising Stars Challenge, keep checking this StoryStream. For all news and information regarding the NBA All-Star Game, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated NBA hub.

Replacing the Rookie/Sophomore Challenge, the first annual BBVA Rising Stars Challenge will take place at the 2012 NBA All-Star Weekend this year. TNT analysts Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley selected the teams from a pool of nine rookies and nine sophomores made available by the NBA.

ROOKIES: Kyrie Irving, Derrick Williams, Tristan Thompson, Brandon Knight, Kawhi Leonard, Kemba Walker, Ricky Rubio, Markieff Morris, MarShon Brooks.

SOPHOMORES: Blake Griffin, John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Evan Turner, Paul George, Greg Monroe, Tiago Splitter, Landry Fields, Gordon Hayward.

As a no-brainer twist, "commissioner" Kenny Smith added New York Knicks wunderkind Jeremy Lin to the pool at the last minute. He also added Miami Heat rookie Norris Cole to keep things even.

Team Chuck: Wall, Irving, Cousins, George, Williams, Brooks, Hayward, Splitter, Leonard, Turner

Team Shaq: Griffin, Lin, Rubio, Monroe, Morris, Walker, Fields, Cole, Knight, Thompson

The 2012 Rising Stars Challenge will be played on Friday, Feb. 24, 2012, in Orlando as part of All-Star Weekend.

You'll never believe this, but Jeremy Lin will, in fact, be a part of the NBA All-Star Weekend festivities.

Acting as commissioner for the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge on Thursday evening, Kenny Smith made a late addition to the game, including Norris Cole of the Miami Heat in the rookie pool. The addition meant a second-year player needed to be thrown into the mix, and surprisingly enough, Smith knew just the player!

Lin, the New York Knicks' breakout star point guard, will play in the Rising Stars Challenge, an altered version of the Rookie-Sophomore Game. This year, instead of the first-year players facing the second-year stars, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal were made general managers and are currently picking teams live on NBATV.

And of course, Lin came off the board fast. After Blake Griffin and Kyrie Irving were picked first and second, respectively, Lin was taken as the third pick. The Linsanity continues, and will be invading All-Star Weekend.

The NBA revealed the 18 players that will make up the first-annual "Rising Stars Challenge" at the 2012 NBA All-Star Weekend. The game, formerly the Rookie/Sophomore Challenge, features TNT analysts Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley picking teams from a pool of nine rookies and nine sophomores. Those 18 players are as follows:

ROOKIES: Kyrie Irving (Cavaliers), Derrick Williams (Timberwolves), Tristan Thompson (Cavaliers), Ricky Rubio (Timberwolves), Brandon Knight (Pistons), Kemba Walker (Bobcats), Markieff Morris (Suns), Kawhi Leonard (Spurs), Marshon Brooks (Nets).

SOPHOMORES: Blake Griffin (Clippers), John Wall (Wizards), Evan Turner (76ers), DeMarcus Cousins (Kings), Greg Monroe (Pistons), Gordon Hayward (Jazz), Paul George (Pacers), Landry Fields (Knicks), Tiago Splitter (Spurs).

Several top-10 draft picks were left out on both sides. Rookie top-10 picks absent include Enes Kanter (Jazz), Jan Vesely (Wizards), Bismack Biyombo (Bobcats), Jimmer Fredette (Kings) and Klay Thompson (Warriors). Sophomore top-10 picks not selected include Derrick Favors (Jazz), Wesley Johnson (Timberwolves), Ekpe Udoh (Warriors) and Al-Farouq Aminu (Hornets).

The 2012 Rising Stars Challenge will be played on Friday, Feb. 24 in Orlando as part of All-Star Weekend.