NBA All-Star festivities feature Bay Area heroes beyond Warriors’ Curry

SAN FRANCISCO – Steph Curry is sure to serve as prom king for this week’s NBA All-Star festivities, culminating with him in Sunday’s three-game tournament at Chase Center.

So, who else to cheer?

Of course, there are Curry’s fellow 2024 Olympic gold medalists, as well as an impressive ensemble of Bay Area musical artists. Other Golden State Warriors will be in action, too: Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis in Friday’s Rising Stars games; Draymond Green and Moses Moody in Saturday’s skills challenge, promptly followed by Buddy Hield in the 3-point contest.

While no Sacramento Kings are part of any All-Star weekend event, here are other Northern California and Bay Area connections to watch:

Guard Jaylen Brown

The 2015-16 Cal star can be found Sunday night on Team Shaq, which includes Curry, LeBron James, Oakland native Damian Lillard, and Brown’s Boston Celtics teammate Jayson Tatum.

Brown, 28, is a Marietta, Georgia native and four-time All-Star who won his first NBA championship last season and earned NBA Finals MVP honors. At Cal, Brown led the Bears into the NCAA Tournament (first-round loss to Hawaii) and was first-team All-Pac 12 plus Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.

Guard Damian Lillard

Last year’s NBA All-Star Game MVP is a 34-year-old Oakland native and nine-time all-star. Lillard is in his second season with the Milwaukee Bucks after being traded there from Portland. As the Trail Blazers’ 2012 No. 6 overall draft pick, he earned NBA Rookie of the Year honors and left Portland with a franchise-record 19,376 points and 2,387 3-point field goals.

Lillard’s high school career took him from Arroyo High-San Lorenzo to St. Joseph-Alameda and, for his final two years, Oakland High. He won the 3-point contest at the past two All-Star games. He also won the skills challenge at NBA All-Star weekend as a 2013 rookie, two years after Curry did.

Forward Jalen Williams

This is his third season with the Oklahoma City Thunder after being drafted 12th overall in 2022 out of Santa Clara – the first Broncos player drafted since Steve Nash in 1996. Williams’ final collegiate season saw him make the All-WCC first team, score the eighth-most points in Broncos history (594 points) and was the nation’s only player to average 18 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.

Williams, a Denver native, will suit up on Team Kenny (Smith) in his first All-Star Game appearance. He played in the 2023 Rising Star Challenge and was runner-up in NBA Rookie of the Year voting. Prior to his 2019-22 tenure at Santa Clara, Williams played for Perry High in Gilbert, Arizona, the same alma mater as 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy.

Guards Amen Thompson, Ausar Thompson

Suiting up on Team M for coach Mitch Richmond in the Rising Stars competition are East Bay natives and identical twin brothers Amen Thompson (Houston Rockets) and Ausar Thompson (Detroit Pistons).

The 22-year-old twins were born in Oakland and raised in San Leandro before moving to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to play for Pine Crest School. In forgoing their senior year of high school there, they turned pro and played in the Overtime Elite League. In 2023, Amen was drafted No. 4 overall by the Rockets, and Ausur followed at No. 5 by the Pistons.

Amen, an All-Rookie second-team selection last year, scored a career-high 33 points two weeks ago in a 114-112 win over Boston. Ausur’s rookie season was halted last March by a blood clot, the recovery of which caused him to miss the first 18 games this season.

Center Yves Missi

Two years ago, Missi was playing for Prolific Prep of Napa Christian. In Friday night’s Rising Stars event, the 20-year-old will be playing alongside the Thompson twins on Team M. Born in Belgium but raised in Cameroon, the 6-foot-11 Missi is averaging 8.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game for the last-place New Orleans Pelicans, who drafted him No. 21 overall. He averaged 9.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game at Prolific Prep.

Forward Jaylen Wells

A 21-year-old Sacramento native and Folsom High graduate, Wells will play on the Rising Stars’ Team C under coach Chris Mullin. Wells played at Sonoma State (2021-23) and earned Division II All-American honors in 2023 while being named the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Player of the Year.

Wells finished his college career at Washington State before the Memphis Grizzlies drafted him in last year’s second round (No. 39 overall). He is averaging 11.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.