Indiana Pacers two-way contract guard Isaiah Wong has been named to the G League Next Up game that will take place during NBA All-Star weekend.
The Next Up game is essentially a G League All-Star game that debuted at All-Star weekend last season. It will take place in the Indiana Convention Center on Sunday, February 18 at G League Park during the NBA crossover event. 28 total G League players will participate.
The Pacers G League affiliate team, the Indiana Mad Ants, will have others in the event. Two-way contract center Oscar Tshiebwe will participate, as will Mad Ants wing Kyle Mangas. They have been some of the Mad Ants best players this season.
"It's just a blessing that they invited me," Wong said of being named to the event. He found out about a week ago — just two days before the announcement — that his new reality featured playing in All-Star weekend. He originally had plans to head down to Miami, but plans changed when he was added to the Next Up game.
Wong has appeared in 32 games for the Mad Ants this season. He's averaging 15.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game in the G League so far. His play finishing is impressive, but Indiana as a franchise is trying to develop Wong as a floor general.
The rookie guard has not appeared in an NBA regular season game yet this season. He did appear in the In-Season Tournament Finals, which wasn't a regular season game but was an NBA debut for Wong. He logged 1:10 of playing time.
"It was a great experience," the 55th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft said of that game. He was excited to momentarily share the court with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Wong has been watching Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton all season in order to get better. It paid off as Wong was effective enough to be named to the Next Up event. The game can be watched on the G League's YouTube page and the NBA App.
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