Salt Lake City Stars Announce Sean East II will Participate in 2026 NBA G League Next Up Game

SALT LAKE CITY (February 3, 2026) — The Salt Lake City Stars announced that rookie guard Sean East II has been selected to participate in the NBA G League Next Up Game during NBA All-Star Weekend 2026. 

The NBA G League Next Up Game will take place Sunday, Feb. 15, at 12:30 P.M. MT  in Los Angeles. The game will be played at NBA Crossover inside the Los Angeles Convention Center and will air on NBA TV.

The Stars guard is also set to participate in the Castrol Rising Stars mini-tournament on Feb.13 during All-Star Weekend as one of seven G League players selected to play on Team Austin, coached by former NBA player Austin Rivers.

East II (6-3, 180, Missouri) has appeared in 33 games (five starts) for the Stars, averaging 17.5 points, 5.6 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.0 steals in 27.1 minutes per game. The rookie has scored in double figures in 27 appearances, eclipsed 20 points 15 times, and recorded a season-high 36-point performance against South Bay on Nov. 18.

Prior to joining Salt Lake City, East II played professionally with the Edmonton Stingers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League and CSM Constanța in Romania. A Louisville, Ky., native, he spent his final two collegiate seasons at Missouri and earned NJCAA Division I Player of the Year honors during his lone season at John A. Logan College.

Stars Head Coach Rick Higgins and Head Assistant Coach Isaiah Fox have been named as head coaches for winning the 2025 Winter Showcase. Higgins and Fox helped lead the Stars to a West Pod leading and franchise best 12-2 record in the Tip-Off Tournament, coaching the Stars to their first Winter Showcase Championship since the inaugural 2019 season.

The event will feature a four-team, tournament-style format showcasing 28 of the NBA G League’s most exciting players. Ten players are selected by fan vote, with the remaining 18 chosen by the NBA G League. Coaches from the 2025 NBA G League Winter Showcase champion Salt Lake City Stars and the San Diego Clippers (LA Clippers’ G League affiliate) will serve as head coaches of the four teams composed from the pool of 28 players. Four teams of seven players will compete in two semifinal games, followed by a championship game. Semifinal games will be played to 35 points, with the championship game played to 30 points.