Is Chet Holmgren playing tonight in 2024 NBA Rising Stars Challenge Game? Latest on Team Jalen's star's status (February 16)

OKC Thunder's rookie Chet Holmgren will play against Team Tamika Catchings as the first pick for Team Jalen for the NBA Rising Stars Challenge game on Friday.

The event starts with the initial semifinal game, continuing to feature NBA rookies, sophomores, and G League players for the third year.

The tournament spans three games, each ending when a predetermined final score is achieved, with 40 points as the goal for the semifinals and 25 points for the final match.

What happened to Chet Holmgren?

During a pro-am game in Seattle in Aug 2022, Holmgren sustained a foot injury while guarding LeBron James. The match was called off in the second quarter due to humid weather causing the court to become slippery.

He was diagnosed with a Lisfranc injury to his right foot and missed a full season (2022-23) under OKC Thunder's president Sam Presti's order.

Presti expressed confidence in Holmgren's full recovery, citing Joel Embiid and Blake Griffin, high draft picks who missed their first year due to injuries but later became All-Stars, as examples.

However, this season has been more than Presti could've wished for, as Holmgren has yet to miss a game this season, playing in all 54 games.

He is one of the team's most important players, averaging 30.3 minutes.

Chet Holmgren stats ahead of NBA Rising Stars Challenge Game

Chet Holmgren is having an excellent rookie season, currently second in the Rookie of The Year ladder, with averages of 16.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists.

He is averaging 0.7 steals and 2.6 blocks with 53.5% / 39.3% / 77.3% shooting splits.

Holmgren is already one of the premier versatile big men capable of playing both center and forward positions.

His ability to provide spacing for the team and remarkable defense makes him extremely valuable for the Thunder.

Holmgren has reared the Thunder to be in top contention in the Western Conference at the second spot with a 37-17 record.

How to watch Team Jalen Rose vs. Team Tamika Catchings in NBA Rising Star Challenge Game

The Rising Star Game will begin at 9 p.m. ET at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Friday.

The game will be available for live-streaming on NBA League Pass and Sling TV, which give viewers access to a free trial and can be purchased for a subscription.

It can also be watched through cable providers that have NBA TV.