Karl-Anthony Towns, Dominican national teamer, leads U.S. in Rising Stars Challenge All-Star Weekend

Karl-Anthony Towns, a member of the Dominican Republic national team, will represent the U.S. team in the Rising Stars Challenge.

Good thing the NBA classified Towns, who was born in New Jersey, as an American for this All-Star weekend game. Otherwise, the World Team would have have had the two best players – Towns and Timberwolves teammate Andrew Wiggins.

As it stands, Wiggins will lead an international squad that won the first game with the U.S.-against-the-World format last year.

This year’s full rosters:

U.S. Team

• Jordan Clarkson, Lakers
• Rodney Hood, Jazz
• Zach LaVine, Timberwolves
• Nerlens Noel, 76ers
• Jahlil Okafor, 76ers
• Jabari Parker, Bucks
• Elfrid Payton, Magic
• D’Angelo Russell, Lakers
• Marcus Smart, Celtics
• Karl-Anthony Towns, Timberwolves

World Team

• Bojan Bogdanovic, Nets
• Clint Capela, Rockets
• Mario Hezonja, Magic
• Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
• Nikola Mirotic, Bulls
• Emmanuel Mudiay, Nuggets
• Raul Neto, Jazz
• Kristaps Porzingis, Knicks
• Dwight Powell, Mavericks
• Andrew Wiggins, Timberwolves

How players were selected:

The NBA’s assistant coaches chose the rosters for the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge, selecting four guards, four frontcourt players and two players at either position for each team. The coaches also picked a minimum of three first-year players and three second-year players for each team.

The World Team is stacked in the frontcourt, so there was no easy way to get him in. But it’s a shame fan-favorite Boban Marjanovic didn’t make it. There are frequently injury replacements for this game, previously known as the rookie-sophomore challenge. So, maybe the Spurs center will eventually get included.