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The NBA has released the teams for its All-Star Weekend Celebrity Game and as always, both lineups are bursting with actors looking do something other than what they’re famous for.
In the past, this game featured stars such as Jason Sudeikis, Sarah Silverman and four-time MVP Kevin Hart. This year’s match-up may not feature any those funny people, but there will be plenty of ballers on the court, including Anthony Mackie, Ansel Elgort and Caleb McLaughlin of Stranger Things. Expect the latter to match up against Black-ish star Miles Brown, since they’re both young kids.
This year, Michael Smith and Jemele Hill (the co-hosts of SportsCenter’s 6 p.m. show) will serve as the guest coaches for the West and East teams, respectively.
Here are the full rosters:
Michael Smith’s West Team
Miles Brown (actor)
Tom Cavanagh (actor)
Mark Cuban (Dallas Mavericks owner)
Baron Davis (NBA legend)
Andy Grammer (recording artist)
Jiang Jinfu (actor, model)
Anthony Mackie (actor)
Romeo Miller (actor, recording artist)
Hasan Minhaj (actor, comedian)
Master P (actor, recording artist)
Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks)
Aarón Sánchez (celebrity chef)
Coaches: ESPN host Michael Smith, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, TV personality Rocsi Diaz
Jemele Hill’s East Team
Brandon Armstrong (former NBA D-League player and social media star)
Win Butler (musician)
Nick Cannon (actor, recording artist)
Rachel DeMita (NBA2K TV personality)
Ansel Elgort (actor, recording artist)
Marc Lasry (Milwaukee Bucks owner)
Caleb McLaughlin (actor)
Peter Rosenberg (media personality)
Oscar Schmidt (Basketball legend)
Lindsay Whalen (WNBA player)
Jason Williams (NBA legend)
Kris Wu (recording artist)
Coaches: ESPN host Jemele Hill, Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry, recording artist Fat Joe
The celebrity game is the most underrated part of NBA All-Star weekend. The Dunk Contest and the Three-Point Shootout are both fun, but what makes this game so great is there are famous people who do not make their living playing basketball hitting the hardwood with other celebs.
It’s always interesting to find out who can actually play and who’s just there for show, and because many of these players have experience on the court, we find out very quickly who has probably never touched a basketball before.
As an Avenger, Mackie will be one of the most recognizable actors playing in the game, so all eyes will be on him to see if he can bring his heroics to the court. Can he compete with the legends of this game, such as Kevin Hart and Chris Tucker, and more importantly, will he be able to lead his team to victory?
The truth is, all we ever want from a game like this are a viral video or two showcasing great individual moments — for example, this incredible clip of Justin Bieber getting checked into the boards during a celebrity hockey game:
We shouldn’t expect anything this violent in the NBA, but regardless of whether the East or the West prevails, it’s social media that will hopefully be the winner.
Matt Hornick | Editorial Intern
