Culture & Lifestyle / The NBA All Star Weekend: Our Recap Of Celeb Spotting, The Games And Concerts

The NBA All Star Weekend: Our Recap Of Celeb Spotting, The Games And Concerts

Culture & Lifestyle Feb 14, 2016

by Rumnique Nannar

The NBA All-Star Weekend in Toronto brought celebrities like Drake, Ranveer Singh and Kevin Hart and basketball legends like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant to brave the city's chilly weather and showcase its passion.

The weekend started off with a bang when Drake received the key to the city from Toronto Mayor John Tory. The honour completely makes sense since Drake's love for his hometown is apparent on his albums, and who better than the "6ix God?"

^{Drake receives the key to the city from Toronto Mayor John Tory.

Photo Credit: CBC}

"This is one of the biggest moments of my life, if not the biggest moment of my life. I just want to say thank you to a city that is unconditionally supportive, unconditionally loving. I will never stop loving this city. I will never stop representing this city," said the musician at the press conference.

^{Wouldn't be a basketball game without the coaches getting heated!

Photo Credit: CBC}

As part of his weekend, Drake was also a head coach for the All-Star Celebrity Game. He likely picked up lessons from hollering at the Raptors at his many previous appearances. He led an impressive lineup of Canadian celebs with Rick Fox, Property Brothers' Drew and Jonathan Scott, former WNBA star Tammy Sutton-Brown and actor Tom Cavanagh.

In a bid to prove his basketball skills as well, Canadian actor Stephan James, who plays sprinter Jesse Owens in the upcoming Race, played opposite his American co-star Jason Sudeikis on the American side. Kevin Hart led the US team as the coach.

The American team was rounded out by former Raptor Chauncey Billups, WNBA player Elena Delle Donne, Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry and actors Nick Cannon, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Anthony Anderson and Bryshere Gray.

^{USA Coach Kevin Hart steps into the game.

Photo Credit: CBC}

But the Canadians won by 74–64, majorly helped by their secret weapon, the Arcade Fire's Win Butler, who keyed an 8-0 run that put Canada ahead 20–15 in the first half. Butler finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds. He also made the memorable gaffe of talking politics in his MVP speech, but Steele wasn't having it and said that they were here to talk about the celebrity stuff, not politics!

The rest of the weekend went off without a hitch. It was a momentous occasion on Sunday as Kobe Bryant played his last All-Star game. Bryant announced he'd be retiring this season, which made the game quite a nostalgic treat for fans. He was feted by legends like Magic Johnson in the pre-game celebrations. Bryant finished with 10 points and received a standing ovation when he left the floor with just over a minute to play.

^{Bryant and Lebron James share a smile in the final All-Star game.

Photo Credit: The Guardian}

The game resulted in a "West" win of 196–173, with Russell Westbrook scoring 31 points and earning the MVP honours for a great performance. Internet heartthrob Steph Curry also notched up 26 points and had a three-point shot that was seconds away at the end. It garnered the biggest roars of the night at the Air Canada Centre.

If you were on the lookout for Bollywood celebs, then you may have noticed when Ranveer Singh made an incognito appearance at the game and posed with Ne-Yo and Ludacris, among others. If you follow him on Twitter, you'll have noticed he was tweeting like a true starstruck fan.

^{Ranveer poses with Ludacris and Ne-Yo, who sang the American national anthem.

Photo Credit: www.deccanchronicle.com}

^{Main Image Photo Credit: www.pinkvilla.com}

Rumnique Nannar

Author

Rumnique Nannar is a new journalist with a passion for all things pop culture, film, and art. Rumnique was born in London, with a predilection for devouring English chocolate with her Vogue, ANOKHI, and Glamour magazines in tow. She is currently in her Journalism Masters at UBC. Connect ...

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The NBA All Star Weekend: Our Recap Of Celeb Spotting, The Games And Concerts

by Rumnique Nannar

The NBA All-Star Weekend in Toronto brought celebrities like Drake, Ranveer Singh and Kevin Hart and basketball legends like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant to brave the city's chilly weather and showcase its passion.

Rumnique Nannar

COMMENTS

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