The Sixers are off until January 19th against the Pelicans, with All-Star Weekend taking center stage for the NBA over the next three days. Three Sixers will be on hand this weekend with Jahlil Okafor being the only one to play in a game. Nerlens Noel is in attendance, but right knee patellar tendinitis will keep him out of the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge. In addition to those two, Nik Stauskas is covering All-Star Weekend for TSN, so he will be on the red carpet interviewing celebrities while also providing commentary and analysis leading up to the All-Star Game on Sunday.
Tonight kicks off the festivities with the annual All-Star Celebrity Game followed by the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge. The celebrity matchup will feature a head coaching duel between last year's game MVP Kevin Hart (USA) and Drake (Canada). Hart's coaching staff includes Isaiah Thomas, Andre Drummond and Becky Hammon as assistants while Drake will have Raptors guard DeMar Derozan, Steve Nash and Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista.
Drake's Canada team is comprised of the following members:
- Stephan James
- Arcade Fire's Win Butler
- Drew and Jonathan Scott from HGTV's "Property Brothers"
- Professional tennis player Milos Raonic
- Actor and singer Kris Wu
- Seven-time NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady
- NBA TV analyst Rick Fox
- Former WNBA player Tammy Sutton-Brown
Meanwhile, Kevin Hart and team USA look like this:
- Jason Sudeikis
- Anthony Anderson from ABC's "Blackish"
- Joel David Moore
- Nick Cannon from "America's Got Talent"
- Five-time NBA All-Star and ESPN analyst Chauncey Billups
- NBA legend Muggsy Bogues
- Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry
- WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne of the Chicago Sky
The NBA All-Star Celebrity Game will tip-off at 7pm live on ESPN from Toronto's Ricoh Coliseum.
League's best up and coming players featured in BBVA Rising Stars Challenge
Formerly the Rookie vs. Sophomore game, the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge now pits the USA against the World. Last year, the World team emerged victorious, 121-112, and this year should prove to be a very good matchup with some impressive rookies and young players stacking each teams' roster. Scheduled for 9pm from the Air Canada Centre on TNT, the Rising Stars Challenge will feature 20 players, three of which come from each the Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz. Let's take a look at the rosters:
U.S. Team
- Jordan Clarkson, G, Los Angeles Lakers
- Rodney Hood, G, Utah Jazz
- Zach LaVine, G, Minnesota Timberwolves
- Devin Booker, G, Phoenix Suns
- replaces Nerlens Noel, F/C, Philadelphia 76ers
- Jahlil Okafor, C, Philadelphia 76ers
- Jabari Parker, F, Milwaukee Bucks
- Elfrid Payton, G, Orlando Magic
- D'Angelo Russell, G, Los Angeles Lakers
- Marcus Smart, G, Boston Celtics
- Karl-Anthony Towns, C, Minnesota Timberwolves
World Team
- Bojan Bogdanovic, G/F, Brooklyn Nets
- Clint Capela, F/C, Houston Rockets
- Mario Hezonja, G/F, Orlando Magic
- Nikola Jokic, C, Denver Nuggets
- Trey Lyles, F, Utah Jazz
- replaces Nikola Mirotic, F, Chicago Bulls
- Emmanuel Mudiay, G, Denver Nuggets
- Raul Neto, G, Utah Jazz
- Kristaps Porzingis, F/C, New York Knicks
- Dwight Powell, F/C, Dallas Mavericks
- Andrew Wiggins, G/F, Minnesota Timberwolves
There are some very intriguing matchups that could happen here with Jahlil Okafor and Karl-Anthony Towns on the same team and seem to be the two lone natural centers on the US squad. Meanwhile, the World team has a surplus of quick, young guards that are sure to cause issues for the opposing defense, even though defense isn't really a thing in these games.
Last year, Andrew Wiggins scored 22 points en route to a Rising Stars Challenge MVP award and a victory for his team. All-Star Saturday night is slated for February 13th, beginning at 8pm, and will include the Skills Challenge, Dunk Contest and Three-Point Competition. The All-Star Game is set for Sunday night at 8PM.
Brandon Apter, Managing Editor for Sixerdelphia.com
