The NBA has arrived in New Orleans for the 2017 NBA All-Star Weekend for the annual showcase of the league’s young talents and biggest stars. Here is the complete schedule of the three-day event and a preview of what to expect.
While there will be a deluge of side events surrounding the NBA All-Star Weekend all around New Orleans, the on-court action kicks off on Feb. 17 wit the Celebrity Game at 7 p.m. (ET). As noted by Bleacher Report, comedian Kevin Hart won’t be around for his usual antics. Instead, serious celebrity ballers will get a chance to strut their wares, with rapper Master P (who signed contracts with the Charlotte Hornets and the Toronto Raptors in the late 90s) his son Romero Miller, WNBA superstar Candace Parker and former NBA All-Star Baron Davis comprise the core of the West squad. They face the WNBA’s Lindsay Whalen, Nick Cannon and retired NBA champion Jason Williams on the other side. The game will be officially broadcasted by ESPN.
For NBA All-Star Friday’s main event, the league’s best young stars take center stage with the Rising Stars Challenge at 9 p.m. (ET). According to CBS Sports (c/o Bovada), Minnesota Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns has a 2/1 odds of grabbing the game’s MVP honors. Other notable names participating in the game include Kristaps Porzingis, Nikola Jokic, Devin Booker and D’Angelo Russell. The game pits the USA vs. the World team and will be broadcast on TNT.
The excitement continues on Feb. 18 with All-Star Saturday at 8 p.m. (ET). The Taco Bell Skills Challenge features an interesting mix of players, with 5’9” Isaiah Thomas favored by Bovada to take the trophy home, while also having big men like Kristaps Porzingis, Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins competing with speedy guards like John Wall and Devin Booker.
The JBL Three-Point Contest, Klay Thompson looks to repeat going against a lineup of Kyrie Irving, Eric Gordon, C.J. McCollum, Kyle Lowry, Eric Gordon, Nick Young, Wes Matthews and Kemba Walker. While in the night’s main event, Aaron Gordon promises to put on another exhilarating performance as he tries to make up for last year’s runner-up finish in the Verizon Slam Dunk Contest. He’ll be going up against DeAndre Jordan, Glenn Robinson III and favored dark horse Derrick Jones Jr.
On Feb. 19, the sport’s biggest stars converge on the hardwood as the NBA All-Star Game tips off at 8 p.m. (ET). The main storyline coming into the game is how former teammates Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant will interact. West coach Steve Kerr has said he intends to play all four Golden State Warriors All-Stars at one point in the game. Will he treat the fans by inserting Westbrook in that lineup? NBA All-Star Saturday and the All-Star Game will be broadcast on TNT.
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