Friday, February 16th
11:30 am EST: Panini Rising Stars Practice, NBATV
5:30 pm EST: Basketball Hall of Fame News Conferences, NBATV
7 pm EST: Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, ESPN
This should be quite the spectacle as we’ll see Stephen A. Smith coaching head-to-head against Shannon Sharpe. Personally, I’ll take whichever team Metta World Peace ends up playing for. He hasn’t been seen mixing it up in a competitive basketball game in ages, and he’s got to have some steam to blow off. NFL stars CJ Stroud and Micah Parsons will also be in action, along with Hollywood stars like Jennifer Hudson, musicians AJ Mclean and Walker Hayes, and many more.
9 pm EST: Panini Rising Stars, TNT
The marquee event of the weekend - at least for Hornets fans. This will be the only opportunity for fans to see a Hornets player in action, as Brandon Miller will represent the rookie team, along with seven other rookies. It will be nice for Miller to get some much-deserved attention on the national stage, and for him to go toe-to-toe with the brightest young stars around the league. There won’t be any defense played in this game, but the format allows a chance for Miller to put his three-level scoring on display and make a bid at the MVP award for this mini-tournament.