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Alijah Martin named to NBA Rising Stars game for All-Star Weekend

On3 imageby: Zach Abolverdi01/27/26ZachAbolverdi

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Former Florida guard and Toronto Raptors rookie Alijah Martin has been named to the NBA’s Rising Stars mini-tournament on Feb. 13 in Los Angeles as part of All-Star Weekend. He will team up with high-impact G League players in the four-team event.

Martin has averaged 18.7 points per game in 21 G League appearances with Raptors 905, including a 30-point outing. He earned a call-up to Toronto and has made 10 appearances, highlighted by nine points, eight rebounds, four steals and two blocked shots in nearly 30 minutes of action in an overtime win over the 76ers.

“Honestly, just trying to make an impact,” Martin said following that Jan. 11 performance vs. Philadelphia. “Coming off the bench, knowing these guys need some help. We’re down a couple bodies. I’m just trying to be a positive light.”

The 2026 Castrol Rising Stars mini-tournament is scheduled for Feb. 13 at 9 p.m. ET (Peacock).

Martin helped lead the Gators to the 2025 national championship after transferring from FAU, averaging 14.4 points and 4.5 rebounds for Florida last season. He gave Gator fans a memorable fastbreak slam dunk in the Final Four against Auburn before knocking in the go-ahead free throws in the national championship game vs. Houston.

“I’m not surprised,” UF coach Todd Golden said of Martin being named to the Rising Stars game. “He’s a guy that, he’s very confident and he always backs up how he feels. And what I mean, like, he’s never scared on the floor. There’s a great clip of him from a couple of weeks ago when he got his first or second rip in an NBA game, kind of talking to Tyrese Maxey as they finished the game (see below).

“He’s just out there and he knows he’s going to be a great competitor, and he’s not going to be afraid, regardless of who he’s up against. So the fact that in a short period of time, he’s put himself in position to play in that game, it’s just not that surprising. He’s a guy that you generally want to bet on and you’ll live with the results if you get it wrong, but he was a great competitor for us last year, and I think that’s a big part of who he is.”

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