Kenneth Faried made Charles Barkley, the “GM” of Team Chuck look like a genius, as he had 40 points and 10 rebounds on his way to picking up the MVP award for the night. Kyrie Irving was the leader of Team Shaq (Which is of course headed up by the Big Aristotle.) with 32 points, as he put on a dazzling exhibition in the game for the 2nd straight year, as he went 8-8 from three point land last year.

Other notables for the game included Dion Waiters with 23, Isiah Thomas with 18 points and 10 assists, Tristan Thompson with 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Kawhi Leonard with 20 points.

For those of you Spurs fans that didn’t see the game, Kawhi Leonard looked as good as he could in the game, showing his athleticism off on the first play of the game, catching a lob for an alley-oop from Anthony Davis. In another sequence early in the second half, he hit back to back three pointers. Heck, at one point Kawhi even pulled up for a three in transition, a move that would have gotten a nice warm spot on the bench in an actual game.

But, you have to remember that this is merely an exhibition. There is absolutely no defense in a game like this. And, as evidenced by late in Friday’s game, a makeshift dunk contest can evolve from it if you aren’t careful. Therefore, any stats that are accumulated from this game are essentially meaningless. They do not even come close to painting a picture of what will happen when a player is inserted into a regular season game. So, while it was nice to see Kawhi perform tonight in front of a national tv audience, just remember that none of this really matters and this is all for fun.

Jan 21, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard (2) celebrates with guard Gary Neal (14) during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center. The Spurs defeated the Sixers 90-85. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Team Chuck got the job done last season, and they will try to duplicate that victory this year in the 2013 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge. Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal once again drafted teams in the new format of the Rookie-Sophomore game that has now integrated rookies and second year players on the same teams.

Kawhi Leonard was the lone Spur on the big board, but was selected sixth overall in the Rising Stars Draft to Team Chuck.

Shaquille O’Neal passed up on Leonard to form a cast of some of the best young guards in the game, taking Damian Lillard and Kyrie Irving with his first and second pick respectively.

However, Barkley assembled his front court early with Anthony Davis first, and then picking up two small fowards in Kenneth Faried and Kawhi with his second and third choice.

As you may know, Chuck has struggled to pronounce Kawhi Leonard’s name in the past, but last night, Barkley finally nailed Kawhi’s name when he selected him to his team, which will be coached by San Antonio’s own Mike Budenholzer.

Both squads are stacked with young talent that should provide another fun, high scoring game.

Team Shaq’s full roster includes: Damian Lillard (Portland), Kyrie Irving (Cleveland), Andre Drummond (Detroit), Klay Thompson (Golden State), Harrison Barnes (Golden State), Chandler Parsons (Houston), Dion Waiters (Cleveland), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Charlotte), Tyler Zeller (Cleveland), and Kemba Walker (Charlotte).

While Team Chuck’s roster features: Anthony Davis (New Orleans), Kenneth Faried (Denver), Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio), Bradley Beal (Washington), Ricky Rubio (Minnesota), Tristan Thompson (Cleveland), Nikola Vucevic (Orlando), Brandon Knight (Detroit), Isaiah Thomas (Sacramento), and Alexey Shved (Minnesota).

The 2013 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge will tip-off at 8 p.m. CST Friday, Feb. 15. The game will be televised on TNT and broadcasted on ESPN Radio as well.