OAKLAND, Calif. - Northwest men's basketball alumnus and reigning U.S. Olympic silver medalist Shelby McEwen has been chosen to compete in the 2025 Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game on Friday, February 14.

The event is part of the festivities for NBA All-Star Weekend, which culminates in Sunday's NBA All-Star Game in San Francisco. The Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game will take place at nearby Oakland Arena at 6 P.M. on ESPN, ESPN+ and Disney+.

McEwen has been chosen to compete as part of Team Rice, led by NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice. The star-studded roster includes NBA veteran Matt Barnes, former NFL receiver Terrell Owens, WWE superstar Bayley, country music performers Shaboozey and Walker Hayes.

Team Rice will compete against Team Bonds, coached by San Francisco Giants' legend Barry Bonds and rapper 2 Chainz. Notable celebrities on Team Bonds include NBA veteran Baron Davis, GRAMMY-award winning country music artist Mickey Guyton and actor Danny Ramirez (Captain America: New World Order).

Though known for his skills in the high jump on the worldwide stage, McEwen competed in both track and basketball at Oxford High School, winning dunk contests in the offseason. The Abbeville native later played basketball at Northwest from 2015-17, before turning his attention to track at the University of Alabama.

After making his first appearance in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, McEwen made the finals in the high jump in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. He finished with the silver medal after an intense jump-off with New Zealand's Hamish Kerr, who went on to capture the gold medal.