NBA All-Star weekend: everything you need to know

The NBA All-Star weekend is about more than just the All-Star game. The whole weekend is full of events to keep you busy in Cleveland, Ohio.

All-Star Celebrity Game

The weekend begins on Friday, February 18 at 7 p.m. ET with the NBA All-Star Celebrity game. This game features retired NBA players, WNBA players, actors, musicians, and other famous athletes. This year’s game will be coached by two former NBA players, Dominique Wilkins and Bill Walton. You won’t want to miss seeing the celebrities on each team face off at Wolstein Center in Cleveland.

Rising Stars Challenge

Later in the evening on Friday, we’ve got the Rising Stars Challenge at 9 p.m. ET. In this game, we will get to see the first and second-year NBA players and G League Ignite players selected by the NBA assistant coaches. This year, the format is a little different than previous years. There are 28 players selected, 12 rookies and 12 sophomores plus four NBA G League Ignite players who are then drafted into four teams of seven. It is a tournament with a scoring goal for each round. This year’s players were selected by the 75th Anniversary Team Members and Rising Star coaches Rick Barry, Gary Payton, Isaiah Thomas, and James Worthy.

The rosters and bracket are as follows:

All-Star Practice

On Saturday, February 19, the day kicks off early at 11 a.m. ET with the NBA All-Star Practice. This is a behind the scenes look at the 24 star NBA players practicing ahead of Sunday’s game and a chance to see interviews by press from around the world. It will be held at the Wolstein Centre in Cleveland.

NBA x HBCU Classic

The fun continues Saturday with the NBA x HBCU Classic at 2 p.m. ET. This game features a matchup between the men’s basketball teams at Howard University and Morgan State University. It is a chance for the schools to get exposure as well as generous donations that go towards student athletes.

Variety of Challenges

At 8 p.m. ET on Saturday evening, a round of challenges will begin, starting with the Skills Challenge, then the 3-Point Contest, and ending with the AT&T Slam Dunk. For more information on these events and to see who is participating, check out AS USA writer Gidget Alikpala’s list of teams and details.

NBA Legends Award

On Sunday, February 20, the day starts off at 12 p.m. ET with the NBA Legends Awards for the crowning of the champions of the prior events.

NBA G League Next Gen Game

The NBA All-Star Game

And finally, the weekend concludes with the biggest event of them all. The NBA All-Star Game begins at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday. For more information on the event and how the coaches, captains, and players were selected, check out this article.