The Rising Stars event on NBA All-Star Weekend gives fans a chance to see some of the league's top young players, from star rookies to second-year standouts. The event has also grown to include G League standouts, but has always featured two-way contract players and assignment players. This season, Sean East II was the only non-NBA G League player to compete at All-Star Weekend.
A career game for Sean East II 🔥🌟 East finished with a career-high 39 PTS, 14 FGM and shot 63% from beyond the arc. @slcstars 🎯 pic.twitter.com/hzMTD8n4P1
- NBA G League (@nbagleague) 23 February 2026
East was a member of Team Austin, coached by former NBA player Austin Rivers. He played a little more than seven minutes, finishing with two points, one rebound and one assist as Team Austin was eliminated in the early rounds. East was also selected to play in the G League Next Up game, which featured some of the best players in the G League throughout the season.
For him, attending All-Star Weekend and sharing the court with some of the best young players in the NBA was an incredible experience. East grew up watching the All-Star Game, and still has strong memories of his favorite moments.
"Just watching the fight between Kobe [Bryant] and lebron [James]kyrie [Irving]Everybody, all of them great players. “Watching it with my family on Sunday nights,” East told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview. “It was good. . .I had to take it all in, it was fun. I wish we could do it again. Had fun. I had fun and I can't wait to hopefully play one day on Sunday.”
Playing one day in Sunday's marquee All-Star Game is no easy task. There has yet to be a player who made an NBA All-Star team who debuted in the G League. Players like Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet and Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam have made All-Star teams after spending substantial time playing in the G League.
But in Siakam's case, he was drafted first by the Toronto Raptors. Along with VanVleet, he immediately joined the Raptors as an undrafted free agent before gaining a foothold in the G League. But aside from All-Star goals, making it to the NBA is actually a realistic option for the East.
He has been performing poorly in the G League this season, and has already attracted the attention of NBA teams.
"I'm getting a little buzz regarding a two-way contract," East said. "But we'll see. I'll keep doing the work I do and hopefully the call-up comes soon."
After going undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft, East signed with the Los Angeles Lakers for the Summer League. He played with the Lakers team in both the California Classic and Las Vegas, averaging 6.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists.
East finished playing in Canada with the CEBL (Canadian Elite Basketball League), and set the league record for most points in a season with 546. This year, he joined the Utah Jazz for training camp, but was one of the final cuts before the start of the season.
Since being waived, East has been playing with the Jazz's G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars. This is his first official foray into the G League as a professional, and the competition has been equal so far.
"It's good competition. It's definitely not the NBA, but it's a good mix of players who played in the NBA and the G League," East said. "It's pretty solid competition. Everyone is definitely trying to get to the NBA."
In his first full season in the G League, East appeared in 44 games for Salt Lake City. He averaged 19.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.2 steals while shooting 51.3 percent from the field, 40.3 percent from the 3-point line and 75.5 percent from the free-throw line.
He is now firmly on the radar of NBA teams, and it would not be surprising if he is signed to a two-way contract, at least, until next season. He has shown that he can be a capable scoring threat, while also being able to quarterback an offense and be a playmaking guard. But until that call-up comes, East is just enjoying the newfound attention.
“It's just a dream come true,” East said. “So I just want to continue living it.”
