The Pistons lead Rising Stars, but does it translate to NBA stardom?

The Detroit Pistons will be well represented at NBA All-Star weekend in the Rising Stars Challenge.

The Pistons are one of three teams that have three players in the game, joining Houston and Orlando:

Cade Cunningham will help lead the Rookie Squad, while both Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart will play for the Sophomores.

This is a great sign for the Detroit Pistons, who are trying to rebuild around these young players, but does the Rising Stars game translate into NBA stardom?

If you look at the names of the some of the players who have made this game over the years, you have a who’s who of the NBA elite, but you also have a whole lot of guys who never became anything more than role players, and many, not even that.

The Rising Stars challenge does not always equal NBA success

The Rising Stars challenge started in 1994 and there have been 26 games played overall.

Some years there were 6-7 guys who went on to become stars, while others there were as few as two, so just making this team is certainly no guarantee of a player’s future success.

I am defining a “star” as a player who either made multiple All-Star games or was considered a star by the majority of NBA fans. Some of these are certainly subjective and you’ll see some names make it two years in a row.

Here is every star who ever played in the Rising Stars Challenge and a breakdown of how many per year generally make it.