Jamal Murray will have a chance to win back to back MVP trophies at the Rising Stars challenge this year, but he will have some tough competition.
Murray of the Denver Nuggets will be joined by fellow Canadian Dillon Brooks of the Memphis Grizzlies on the World team as part of the All-Star weekend festivities.
Brooks gets the nod after quickly cementing himself as a major part of the Grizzlies rotation from game one this season, and starting 39 of the team's 47 games so far.
It's no surprise that Murray has been invited back to the game. Murray scored 36 points in last year's competition, along with dishing out 11 assists. This season he is averaging 16 points on a Nuggets team trying desperately to make the playoffs.
Murray will need another hot shooting night in order to reclaim the MVP trophy. His World teammate Joel Embiid will be tough competition. Embiid has put up monster games already this season and has a personality that is likely to thrive in the Rising Stars game.
Since the switch to the U.S. versus World format, there have always been at least two Canadians on the team. Murray is not the first Canadian to win a Risings Stars MVP. Andrew Wiggins won the award in 2015 while scoring 22 points.