For Zachary Rizacher, it’s important to participate

During Rising Stars 2026, Zachary Risacher was as icy as the far-from-full Intuit Dome crowd for the first main event of the weekend. The Frenchman started on the bench before playing four straight minutes, during which he missed two of his 3-point attempts and three of his attempts from the rim.

Yes, yes Hawks player he didn’t look for excuses after the match, he explained to us that the context of the match is necessarily special, with a lot of expectations and, in the end, little action.

Try to prepare as well as possible, do a bit of your pre-match routine, treatments, stretches, activations before you go out on the court to warm up. he describes. “Afterwards you have to try to stay fit, and that’s what can be complicated. It’s obviously a special context: the emphasis is more on the show and we’re trying to do the best we can.”

Already discreet and eliminated in the semifinals last year during the Rising Stars match in San Francisco, Rizacher’s two performances will not go down in the annals and no one will blame him. For him, it is important in another place.

Participating in the All-Star Game weekend is first and foremost an opportunity to mingle with your peers, but also with NBA legends. Last year Zachary Rizaher’s team was coached by Tim Hardaway. This year, Tracy McGrady, two Hall of Famers.

“Honestly, that’s also what makes this weekend a great experience: we’re surrounded by great talent, great players to interact with,” he told us after the semi-final. “That’s really what makes the weekend so rich for the young players.”

During his first two experiences, we asked the Frenchman to share with us the meetings that marked him, whether in Los Angeles or San Francisco.

“Honestly, it’s hard to choose. There are a lot of them. There are a lot of people who have influenced me.” he sighs before jumping into the water. “I think of Jamal Crawford yesterday, who we had a great conversation with. Andre Iguodala last year, who I had a chance to talk to a little bit. Also, Shaun Livingston.”

Cut to the Miami side

From the outside, this is an aspect that may go unnoticed, but there are many retired NBA players who are willing to share their experience. There’s a real sense of brotherhood between NBA players, and that’s something that surprised Zachary Rizacher when he arrived in the league.

“Surprised, yes, because I wasn’t necessarily expecting it… but pleasantly surprised,” he confirms. “I really didn’t expect it, at least not to this extent. We’re really seeing the league try to highlight this kind of opportunity, this transfer between players, whether it’s with the old generation or the new generation. As a second-year player, it’s super interesting and rewarding, and it makes you want to go back to the All-Star Game to take advantage of it all.”

With the rising Stars behind him, however, the All-Star weekend comes to an end for Rizacher. Starting tomorrow, he will go to Florida to recharge his batteries before returning to Atlanta to attack the second part of the season.

“I think I’ll take a two-day break in Miami. It’s important for me to try to get back to the East Coast as soon as possible because of the time difference,” he explains. “Then I have a plane on Monday to Atlanta. I’ll be able to resume individual training a little before the team arrives. And then we continue in Philly on Thursday.”

And in two years, he may be back to play at the same venue, for the 2028 Olympics.

“This is the first time I’ve been asked this question today. I love this city, I’m happy to be here, and then yes, of course, I would love to go back to the Olympic tournament. And yes, it would be great to come back in two years to play the United States in the final.”

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