Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler and Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. have been chosen for the Jordan Rising Stars being held in conjunction with the NBA All-Star Game.

The Auburn alumni are among 11 rookies selected to participate in the Rising Stars event.

The NBA’s annual showcase of young talent will be played at 8 p.m. CST Feb. 17 at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City as part of the NBA All-Star Game activities. TNT will televise the Jordan Rising Stars.

The Rising Stars will feature a three-game tournament among four teams of NBA rookies, second-year players and NBA G League players.

Selected by NBA assistant coaches for the event, the 21 first- and second-year players will be drafted onto three seven-player teams. Selected by the NBA league office, the seven NBA G League players will comprise the fourth team.

The games will be played to a target score. In the semifinals, the first team to 40 points wins. In the final, the winner will need 25 points.

In 49 games for the Jazz, Kessler has averaged 7.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots. Kessler has started Utah’s past nine games and averaged 11.3 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots in those contests.

In 47 games for the Rockets, Smith has averaged 11.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocked shots. Smith has game-highs of 27 points and 15 rebounds.

The other rookies chosen as Jordan Rising Stars were the Orlando Magic’s Paolo Banchero, Detroit Pistons’ Jalen Duren and Jaden Ivey, Atlanta Hawks’ AJ Griffin, Indiana Pacers’ Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard, Sacramento Kings’ Keegan Murray and Jeremy Sochan and Oklahoma City Thunder’s Jalen Williams.

The second-year players selected included the New Orleans Pelicans’ Jose Alvarado and Trey Murphy III, Toronto Raptors’ Scottie Barnes, Thunder’s Josh Giddey, Rockets’ Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun, New York Knicks’ Quentin Grimes, Denver Nuggets’ Bones Hyland, Cleveland Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley and Magic’s Franz Wagner.

The G League players participating are Sidy Cissoko, Scoot Henderson, Mojave King, Kenneth Lofton Jr., Mac McClung, Leonard Miller and Scotty Pippen Jr.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.