The NBA All-Star Weekend is getting ready to launch on February 12 in New York City. The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced the list of celebrities who will be playing at the Sprint NBA All-Star Celebrity Game 2015.
The Celebrity Game will be played on Friday, February 13 at 7 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden in New York City and will air live on ESPN, based on a report by NBA.com. This is actually the first time that the Sprint Game will be played in an NBA arena.
Three-time Most Valuable Player and comedian Kevin Hart, who stands only 5'4" will play, together with:
- actor Ansel Elgort
- actor Anthony Anderson
- rapper and actor Common
- Little League pitcher, Mo'ne Davis
- singer and songwriter Win Butler
- actor Chadwick Boseman
- host Nick Cannon
- former New York Knicks player Allan Houston
- NBA Hall of Famer Chris Mullin
- U.S. Paralympic gold medalist Blake Leeper
- actor Michael Rapaport
- Memphis Grizzlies owner Robert Pera
- NBA Inside Stuff host Kristen Ledlow
- Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan
- WNBA stars Tina Charles (New York Liberty), Skylar Diggins (Tulsa Shock) and Shoni Schimmel (Atlanta Dream)
People.com reported that Hart and Cannon are already familiar with the Celebrity Game, being perennial players in past meets.
According to the same NBA.com report, Carmelo Anthony and producer Spike Lee will coach the game together with ESPN Radio hosts Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg. To serve as assistant coach is Isaiah Austin, NBA Cares Ambassador and founder of The Isaiah Austin Foundation. The foundation supports the increased awareness and research of Marfan syndrome.
Keke Palmer will sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the event while MAGIC!, a Canadian reggae fusion band, will perform their hit "Rude" at halftime.
Bleacher Report wrote that the NBA Celebrity Game started in 2003 and has featured several stars and NBA enthusiasts through the years.
In 2014, the East beat the West 60-56, with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan receiving the MVP award. In 2012 and 2013, Kevin Hart bagged the MVP award, while Justin Bieber was MVP in 2011.
The play level and style are not the best but the game is still one of the most anticipated events in the All-Star Weekend.
ESPN will televise the game starting at 7 p.m. ET. NBA fans can also watch the Celebrity Game on WatchESPN.
The game rosters may be subject to change without notice. Fans are advised to visit NBA.com/allstar2015 to stay updated.