Russell Westbrook and Zach LaVine are representing the UCLA basketball program at the NBA's All-Star Weekend in Toronto. LaVine earned MVP honors in Friday night's BBVA Rising Stars Challenge and will look to defend his title in Saturday evening's Verizon Slam Dunk Contest.
A freshman for the Bruins in 2013-14, LaVine scored 30 points in the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday night to secure Most Valuable Player honors. LaVine's effort helped United States team defeat the World team, 157-154.
Westbrook, selected to his fifth NBA All-Star Game, will be making his first-ever start in the annual event. He has joined a list of five UCLA players who have been chosen to compete in at least five All-Star Games. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a 19-time All-Star selection. Westbrook, along with former UCLA standouts Gail Goodrich, Marques Johnson and Reggie Miller, were each picked to compete in five All-Star Games.
Seven of UCLA's 15 former players who have played in the NBA this season have averaged at least 10.0 points per game – Arron Afflalo, Trevor Ariza, Darren Collison, Jrue Holiday, Zach LaVine, Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook.
This season's Verizon Slam Dunk Contest will be televised live by TNT at 5:30 pm (PT) on Saturday, Feb. 13. Competing against LaVine in this year's dunk contest will be Aaron Gordon of the Orlando Magic, Will Barton of the Denver Nuggets and Andre Drummond of the Detroit Pistons.
The NBA All-Star Game will take place Sunday, Feb. 14, at Toronto's Air Canada Centre. Game time is slated for 5:30 p.m. (PT), with broadcast coverage on TNT beginning as early as 4 p.m. (PT).
Below is a brief synopsis of what UCLA's 15 former basketball players have done in the NBA this season.
Jordan Adams – Memphis Grizzlies
2nd NBA season
Hindered by an injury this season, Jordan Adams has played in just two games for the Memphis Grizzlies. A first-round draft selection by Memphis in 2014, Adams underwent arthroscopic knee surgery last month. He had also undergone an off-season procedure to repair the meniscus on the same knee. Adams averaged 3.5 points and 1.0 rebounds in two contests this season.
Arron Afflalo – New York Knicks
9th NBA season
Among the most pivotal players on the Knicks' roster this season, Arron Afflalo has averaged 14.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game in 47 contests. At the All-Star break, Afflalo ranks second on the team in points and minutes per game. He has shot 45.1 percent from the field and 37.3 percent from 3-point range for New York. Currently in his first season with the Knicks, Afflalo scored a season-high 38 points in a win over the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 3.
Kyle Anderson – San Antonio Spurs
2nd NBA season
A first-round selection by San Antonio out of UCLA in June 2014, Kyle Anderson has averaged 3.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 49 games this season. He has played in all but four of San Antonio's games, shooting 46.4 percent overall from the field. Anderson has started in three games for San Antonio this season and has compiled a 2.1 assist-turnover ratio. The Spurs have entered the All-Star break with a 45-8 overall record, the second-best mark among teams in the Western Conference.
Trevor Ariza – Houston Rockets
12th NBA season
Currently in his second season playing for Houston, Trevor Ariza has registered 12.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game in 54 starts. Ariza leads the Rockets with 1.9 steals per game. A freshman at UCLA during the 2003-04 school year, Ariza has shot 41.1 percent from the field and 37.7 from 3-point range during his 12th NBA season. He ranks second on the team in minutes played per game (34.7) and third in scoring (12.3 ppg).
Matt Barnes – Memphis Grizzlies
13th NBA season
UCLA's most veteran player currently in the NBA, Matt Barnes has averaged 8.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game with Memphis this season. Barnes has played in 49 of the team's 53 games (18 starts), averaging 26.3 minutes per game. He has shot 40.4 percent from the field and posted a 34.0 three-point shooting percentage. One of seven players on the Grizzlies to have averaged at least 8.0 points per game, Barnes scored a season-best 20 points in a victory against Washington on Dec. 14, 2015.
Darren Collison – Sacramento Kings
7th NBA season
With shooting percentages just above his career averages, Darren Collison has averaged 13.4 points and 3.9 assists per game this season for Sacramento. The former four-year letterwinner at UCLA has played in 48 of Sacramento's 53 games, shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from three-point range. Collison has scored in double figures in 40 of 48 games, making four starts this year. He has twice scored a season-high 25 points, including in the team's most recent game, a four-point victory over Philadelphia on Feb. 10.
Jrue Holiday – New Orleans Pelicans
7th NBA season
Selected just four picks ahead of former UCLA teammate Darren Collison in the 2009 NBA Draft, Jrue Holiday has averaged 15.0 points, 5.5 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game this season. Holiday has shot 43.8 percent from the field, including a 34.1 percentage from three-point range in 47 games (14 starts) for New Orleans. He has scored in double figures in 37 of 47 games so far this season, having totaled a season-high 32 points in a one-point loss at Houston on Jan. 25.
Ryan Hollins – Memphis Grizzlies
10th NBA season
Through 14 games this season with Memphis, Ryan Hollins has averaged 3.3 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. Hollins also appeared in five games with the Washington Wizards, making three starts. Midway through his 10th season in the NBA, Hollins has shot 58.6 percent from the field and 80.0 percent from the free throw line in 14 games with Memphis.
Zach LaVine – Minnesota Timberwolves
2nd NBA season
Among the game's most talented youngsters (LaVine won't turn 21 until March 10), Zach LaVine has seen his production and his percentages increase across the board during the 2015-16 season. A first-round NBA draft selection in 2014, LaVine has averaged 12.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game for Minnesota. He has played in all 54 games for the Timberwolves and will represent the franchise at the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge and the Verizon Slam Dunk Contest during 2016 NBA All-Star Weekend.
Kevon Looney – Golden State Warriors
1st NBA season
Among the most talented players in the Pac-12 Conference last season, Kevon Looney has seen limited action with Golden State in 2016. He played in the NBA Summer League last summer before being sidelined with hip surgery. Looney has made a full recovery this season, having made his NBA debut on Jan. 27. In all, Looney has played in two games this season, averaging 2.5 points and 1.0 rebounds per contest.
Kevin Love – Cleveland Cavaliers
8th NBA season
Now in his second year with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Kevin Love has averaged 15.7 points and a team-leading 10.3 rebounds per game this season. Love has registered 23 double-doubles, the 15th-highest total in the NBA, and grabbed a season-high 19 rebounds in the Cavaliers' four-point win over Indiana on Nov. 8, 2015. He also scored a season-best 34 points in Cleveland's win over Orlando on Nov. 23, 2015. Love and the Cavaliers have posted a 38-14 record, the best mark in the Eastern Conference. Love has been Cleveland's third-leading scorer behind LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute – Los Angeles Clippers
8th NBA season
Playing in Los Angeles for the first time since leaving UCLA in the spring of 2008, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute has flourished with the Clippers this season. Signed as a free agent in the offseason, Mbah a Moute has worked himself into the Clippers' starting lineup, having averaged 2.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. Mbah a Moute has played in 51 games, making 37 starts, and has shot 41.5 percent from the field. The Clippers have entered the All-Star Break with the fourth-best record in the Western Conference (35-18).
Shabazz Muhammad – Minnesota Timberwolves
3rd NBA season
Shabazz Muhammad has averaged 9.7 points and 3.1 rebounds per game in all 54 contests. Now in his third year with the Timberwolves, Muhammad has shot 45.8 percent from the field. He has scored in double figures in 25 games, having totaled a season-high 25 points in a five-point victory over Memphis on Jan. 23. In fact, Muhammad has tallied at least 20 points in four games, all coming since Jan. 2.
Norman Powell – Toronto Raptors
1st NBA season
A second-round draft pick by the Milwaukee Bucks last June, before being immediately traded to the Toronto Raptors, Norman Powell has played in 24 games this season for Toronto and has made four starts. Powell has averaged 1.3 points and 1.1 rebounds per game. In addition, he has averaged 23.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in seven games with Toronto's NBA D-League affiliate, Raptors 905.
Russell Westbrook – Oklahoma City Thunder
8th NBA season
Slated to compete in his fifth NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 14, Russell Westbrook has averaged 24.1 points, 10.0 assists and 7.6 rebounds per game this season. A two-year letterwinner at UCLA, Westbrook has started all 54 games for Oklahoma City this year. Slated to make his first career start in the All-Star Game this Sunday, Westbrook is currently shooting a career-high 45.8 percent from the field this season. He has registered eight triple-doubles, scoring a season-high 48 points in the team's second game of the season, a three-point victory at Orlando on Oct. 30, 2015. Westbrook has helped Oklahoma City compiled the third-best record of any team in the Western Conference (40-14), entering this season's All-Star break.