This weekend, the NBA will be having its All-Star festivities to celebrate the sport of basketball, with the 66th NBA All-Star Game set to take place on February 20, 9am (Manila time) at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. It will be televised on both BTV (and NBA Premium), as well as on ABS-CBN Sports' S+A, which is one of 215 countries and territories that will be exposed to the game. Boom Gonzalez and TJ Manotoc are already making their way to the Bayou to represent Filipino coverage of the festivities.
Since the 2017 NBA All-Star Game marks the 25th anniversary of the memorable 1992 edition highlighted by Magic Johnson's performance at Orlando, the NBA shared these 25 tidbits.
1. The French Quarter is hosting its third iteration of the All-Star Weekend, all within the last decade (2008, 2014, 2017).
2. The previous two All-Star Game MVPs New Orleans hosted (LeBron James in 2008, Kyrie Irving in 2014) are back, both of which were selected as starters.
3. All in all, there will be 232 NBA players, both current and former, that will be involved in the different activities.
4. At least 250 of the NBA's entertainment acts, game-presentation producers, and directors from all the 30 franchises will be participating in this weekend.
5. As tribute to the legendary Turner Sports' sideline reporter extraordinaire Craig Sager, the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge will have a special "Sager Strong" section at the lower seating bowl. Said section will host thirty local cancer survivors. The Rising Stars Challenge will take place on February 18, 10am (Manila time).
6. The NBA on TNT Road Show that Turner Sports will host, covers up to 70,000 square feet in size. To take place at Champions Square, which is an outdoor festival plaza nearby the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, it will have four days' worth of live telecasts, musical performances, basketball clinics, interactive fan experiences, and pop-up stores, among others.
7. US coverage of the All-Star Game will be handled by Turner Sports, which has had coverage of this event now for 32 years. The game itself will be shown on TNT for the 15th consecutive year.
8. Nine NBA legends currently serving as Turner Sports analysts combine for 78 All-Star Game selections (15 each for Shaquille O'Neal and Kevin Garnett, 12 for Isiah Thomas, 11 for Charles Barkley, 7 each for Grant Hill and Kevin McHale, 5 for Reggie Miller, and 1 for Steve Smith).
9. ESPN in the US will be presenting the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game for the 14th time.
10. In addition to the Celebrity Game, ESPN, through ESPN Radio, will be handling radio coverage of the All-Star Game for the 21st time, having done this since 1996.
11. NBA All-Star Media Day coverage on NBA TV in the US will last five hours, starting on February 18, 1am (Manila time).
12. The annual NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service owes its roots to New Orleans. Now on its tenth iteration, the Day of Service originated as a response back in 2008 to the devastation Hurricane Katrina had sown all over the Gulf region.
13. The NBA and FIBA will have its third Basketball without Borders (BWB) Global Camp during this All-Star Weekend, with 67 high school boys and girls from all across the world being invited to participate.
14. The entire All-Rookie First Team from last season will be participating in the latest iteration of the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge. Devin Booker, Jahlil Okafor, and Karl-Anthony Towns will represent Team USA, while Nikola Jokic and Kristaps Porzingis will represent Team World.
15. State Farm All-Star Saturday Night will have 10 NBA All-Stars participating. The Taco Bell Skills Challenge will have DeMarcus Cousins, Anthony Davis, Gordon Hayward, Isaiah Thomas, and John Wall, while the JBL Three-Point Contest will have Kyrie Irving, Kyle Lowry, Klay Thompson, and Kemba Walker. As for the Verizon Slam Dunk, DeAndre Jordan is one of the four participants.
16. Speaking of Verizon Slam Dunk, also participating is Aaron Gordon. The Orlando Magic forward last year had three consecutive perfect 50 score dunks on his way to a runner-up finish.
17. LeBron James will continue to pad his All-Star Game career record 291 points as he returns to New Orleans.
18. Russell Westbrook is seeking to win the Kia NBA All-Star MVP for the third straight year. He is the first player to win back-to-back last season.
19. Golden State matches an All-Star Game record by having four selections this season: Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson
20. Marc Gasol is the first Memphis Grizzly to have three All-Star selections, after being previously selected back in 2012 and 2015.
21. Durant is averaging 25.6 points during the All-Star Game, which is the highest in its history.
22. At 29.8 points per game, Isaiah Thomas is at the cusp of breaking the Boston Celtics' franchise single season scoring record of 29.9 ppg, set by Larry Bird back in 1987-88. The guard is currently second in the league in scoring.
23. Wilt Chamberlain back in 1962 set the All-Star Game record for scoring with 42 points, but both Russell Westbrook (2015) and Paul George (2016) have come close to matching that feat with 41-point performances.
24. The NBA D-League All-Star Game presented by Kumho Tire will take place on February 19, 330am (Manila time) at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Out of the 24 selections, there are fifteen players with NBA experience.
25. Current Raptors 905 head coach Jerry Stackhouse, who had been named in two NBA All-Star Games as a player, will be coaching the Eastern Conference D-League All-Stars.
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