From staff reports
Former Washington State standout Jaylen Wells, a second-year forward for the Memphis Grizzlies, totaled 10 points over two games in the Rising Stars event on Friday at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, helping coach Vince Carter’s team win the NBA All-Star Weekend competition.
After scoring six points on 2 of 4 from 3-point range and grabbing three rebounds in the first round, a 41-36 win for Team Vince over Tracy McGrady’s Team T-Mac, Wells had four points on 2 of 6 shooting in the final as Team Vince hit the target score first to beat Carmelo Anthony’s Team Melo 25-24.
VJ Edgecombe, a rookie guard for Philadelphia, earned MVP honors after hitting the game-sealing free throws.
Memphis forward Cedric Coward, who played at both Eastern Washington and WSU, was selected to participate in the event but sat out, reportedly to rest a sore knee.
Coward is averaging 13.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists during his promising rookie season. An All-Big Sky first-teamer for EWU in 2023-24, Coward played six games for the Cougs in the 2024-25 campaign before suffering a season-ending injury. He was selected by Portland with the 11th overall pick in the 2025 draft and subsequently traded to Memphis.
Wells, also a Grizzlies starter, is averaging 12.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game this season. He finished third in NBA Rookie of the Year voting last season. Wells helped the Cougs reach the NCAA Tournament during his one season in Pullman, and was drafted in the second round, 39th overall, by the Grizzlies in 2024.
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