NBA fans unite! Just a week after football’s biggest weekend, it’s your turn for a weekend full of basketball excitement.
2023 NBA All-Star Weekend is about to begin and will have basketball action and live entertainment from Friday night through Sunday night. With a celebrity game, skills challenge, dunk competition, All-Star game and much more, the weekend is sure to be a slam dunk!
NBA All-Star Weekend Kicks Off Friday With The Ruffles All-Star Celebrity Game And Jordan Rising Stars Game
The three-day event takes place in Salt Lake City, Utah this year and will have some new additions to the usual experience. To kick off the weekend with some celebrity fun, the Ruffles All-Star Celebrity Game will take place on Friday night at 7 p.m. ET.
Jazz minority owner and former NBA star Dwyane Wade and Utah Jazz team governor Ryan Smith will serve as honorary captains. Giannis, Alex and Thanasis Antetokounmpo, along with three-time Olympic Medalist Lindsey Vonn will be coaches for Team Dwyane, and WNBA champion Lisa Leslie, rapper Fat Joe, and Houston Astros player Alex Bregman coaching Team Ryan.
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Celebrities playing on Team Dwyane include; Hasan Minhaj, DK Metcalf, Janelle Monae, 21 Savage, Nicky Jam, Jesser, Arike Ogunbowale, Frances Tiafoe, Alex Toussaint, Ranveer Singh, Simu Liu and Wade.
Playing for Team Ryan – Kane Brown, Sinqua Walls, Ozuna, Guillermo Rodriguez, Cordae, Diamond DeShields, Calvin Johnson, The Miz, Marcos Mion, Albert Pujols, Everett Osborne, and Smith.
Some new and interesting things were added to this year’s event. Each team’s captain will have the ability to call a “Ruffles Crunch Time,” which will start a two-minute period where points will be doubled. They can also “Unlock a Legend,” giving the team the ability to add a legendary NBA player to their roster mid-game. Throughout the game, Smith, Wade, and team members will also compete in gameplay activations to raise up to $100,000 to benefit “5 For The Fight Cancer Research Internship” in partnership with Howard University.
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After the Celebrity All-Star Game, the 2023 Jordan Risings Stars Game begins at 9 p.m. ET. For the second year, Rising Stars will feature a three-game mini-tournament among four teams made up of NBA rookies, sophomores, and NBA G League players.
This year’s game marks the 28th edition of the young talent showcase during All-Star Weekend. The game began in 1994 and has been played each year with the exception of 1999 when there was no All-Star Weekend due to the lockout, and in 2021 when COVID-19 caused limited participation.
All-Star Saturday Night Includes Skills Challenge, Slam Dunk Contest And Three-Point Contest
Saturday night beginning at 8 p.m. ET, some fun All-Star festivities take place. The 2023 Kia Skills Challenge will see a familiar team that also competed last year – Team Antetokounmpo – Giannis, Alex, and Thanasis Antetokounmpo. They’ll be competing against Team Jazz, Jordan Clarkson, Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton; and Team Rookies, Paulo Banchero, Jabari Smith Jr. and Jaden Ivey.
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Saturday night will also feature a three-point contest and a slam dunk contest. The slam dunk contest will be judged by Jamal Crawford, Karl Malone, Lisa Leslie, Dominique Wilkins and Harold Miner.
The All-Star Game Ends The Exciting Weekend On Sunday Night
Something new this year for the All-Star Game is the televised team draft. For the first time ever, team captains, LeBron James and Antetokounmpo will choose their teams just before the start of the game, pick up game style.
East coast starters are Antetokounmpo, Donovan Mitchell, Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, and Joel Embiid, who’s replacing Kevin Durant due to injury. The west coast starters are James, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Ja Morant, replacing Stephen Curry, and Lauri Markkanen, who’s replacing Zion Williamson.
The captains will each take turns choosing their teams. James will have the first pick as the leading vote-getter. Captains will choose from the starters before moving to the reserves.
There will also be some musical performances throughout the weekend. Utah native singer Jewel will perform “The Star-Spangled Banner” before the All-Star Game on Sunday, and Jully Black will perform the Canadian national anthem. Vin Diesel will introduce players and Post Malone will perform after All-Star Game team captains draft their teams.
The All-Star Game’s halftime show will feature Nigerian artists; Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and producer Burna Boy, Grammy-winning and Oscar-nominated singer Tems and rapper Rema.
