Kel’el Ware reacts to Rising Star honor after being snubbed as a rookie
As Miami Heat center Kel’el Ware has shown improvement in his second NBA season, the league agreed pick the 21-year-old to take part in the 2026 Rising Stars event during All-Star weekend. Although it is The Heat’s young star in Ware has been dealing with a hamstring injuryhe would talk about honor, especially after an impressive rookie season in which he was snubbed.
The warehouse is on the rise! ⭐ 💪 Congratulations @KelelWare who has earned his spot on the 2026 NBA All-Stars Rising Stars Team! pic.twitter.com/ca6p35Hzvm
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) January 27, 2026
The event will be on February 13th, where the NBA will select exciting rookies, second-year players and G League standouts, and Ware will be one of them, as he is currently Miami’s sole representative during All-Star Weekend. Still, there’s a good chance Norman Powell could be selected as a backup for the All-Star Game, but speaking of Ware, he talked about the announcement after practice on Tuesday.
“It’s gonna be fun,” Ware said, according to The Miami Herald. “It’s going to be a fun experience. Obviously not too many people get to do it. So soak it up and enjoy it.”
Head coach Erik Spoelstra talked about the team celebrating the honor before practice on Tuesday.
“I think it’s a good thing,” Spoelstra said. “I think any time you can come out and see greatness, it’s a fun weekend. It’s not like that game is going to be an intense battle. It’s more about being around the guys and seeing how they got to where they are.”
The Heat’s Kel’el Ware is dealing with a hamstring injury
Although The Heat spent the reality of Warethe Indiana product showed growth in his sophomore season, though it hasn’t been smooth sailing. That’s the life of a young NBA player, but there’s no denying that Miami sees immense talent and wants to unlock him, even though his current goal is to recover from a hamstring injury.
Ware would be sent home during a recent trip to deal with the issue, causing him to miss the final four games, though Spoelstra doesn’t see that as “long term.”
Ware is averaging 11.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game while shooting 54 percent from the field as Miami next plays against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.
2026-01-27 19:30:00
