In a bit of a surprise move, Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving went third overall in the BBVA Rising Stars draft, ultimately ending up on Shaquille O’Neal’s “Team Shaq.” Irving, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year, was taken after the two players who are odds on favorites to win this year’s award in Portland’s Damian Lillard and New Orleans’ Anthony Davis.
Selected 12th and 13th, respectively, were Irving’s teammates Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters. Thompson, who one night ago said that he would like to play with Irving, was drafted by Charles Barkley for “Team Chuck,” while Waiters was later paired with Irving.
Cavaliers center Tyler Zeller went undrafted and was a part of the four-man “blind draw” which ultimately landed him with Irving and Waiters on Team Shaq. Irving will also be joined by childhood friends Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Harrison Barnes.
Irving is the reigning Rising Stars MVP, finishing with 34 points on 12-of-13 shooting and making all eight of his 3-point attempts in 2012.
The rest of the rosters are as follows…
Team Shaq: Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving, Andre Drummond, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Chandler Parsons, Dion Waiters, Michael-Kidd Gilchrist, Tyler Zeller, Kemba Walker
Team Chuck: Anthony Davis, Kenneth Faried, Kawhi Leonard, Bradley Beal, Ricky Rubio, Tristan Thompson, Nikola Vucevic, Brandon Knight, Isaiah Thomas, Alexy Shved
[Related: I'm Kyrie: Irving makes history on 40-point night]
