With the 62nd NBA All-Star Game just around the corner, the highly anticipated weekend will feature something different this year. For the first time, State Farm All-Star Saturday will feature a format that puts the Eastern and Western Conference against each other in a night of competition that will also raise money for charity.
Led by captains Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul, the conferences will compete against each other in four All-Star competitions. In addition to this, NBA Cares andState Farm will make a joint donation of $500,000 as part of the event, with $350,000 going to the winning conference’s charities and $150,000 to the runner-up conference’s charities. Selected by their captains, the Eastern Conference will be representing Big Brothers Big Sisters and Make-A-Wish America, while the Western Conference will be representing Boys & Girls Club of America and Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign.
“State Farm All-Star Saturday Night is a night for the fans and the events provide some of the most memorable moments in NBA history,” Paul told the NBA. “Not only are we playing for bragging rights, but we are also raising money for charity, so it is definitely going to be a great night.”
Dwyane Wade is looking forward to the competition, but is excited about putting on a show for the fans and raising money for charity.
“I’m honored to serve as the captain and represent the Eastern Conference in the first All-Star Saturday Night that will feature the East taking on the West,” Wade mentioned to the NBA. “We are looking forward to a night of rivalries, great competition, and most of all, putting on a great show for the fans.”
As part of the new format, points earned by each conference during the competitions will determine the conference that earns the title of 2013 State Farm All-Star Saturday Night Champion.
State Farm All-Star Saturday Night will take place on February 16th at the Toyota Center in Houston. The event will consist of Sears Shooting Stars, a competition featuring NBA and WNBA players, as well as NBA legends; the Taco Bell Skills Challenge, a contests of top guards working against the clock to complete a series of passes, free throws, layups and agility drills; the Foot Locker Three-Point Contest; and the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest.
The 62nd NBA All-Star Game will take place the following day at the Toyota Center, which will also host the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge. The NBA All-Star Jam Session will be held at the George R. Brown Convention Center, which will also host the Sprint NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and the Sprint Pregame Concert.
The concert will feature acts from Grammy Award-winner hip-hop artist Ludacris, Grammy Award-nominated hip-hop artist B.o.B and pop sensation Ke$ha. Ludacris and B.o.B will open up the show with a live performance during NBA TV’s coverage of the Sprint Pregame Concert at 6:00 P.M. ET, while Ke$ha will hit the stage to perform during the live telecast on TNT starting at 7 P.M. ET.
The Sprint NBA All-Star Celebrity Game will air live on ESPN from the Sprint Arena at NBA All-Star Jam Session on Friday, February 15 at 7 P.M. ET. The game will feature celebrities from film, TV and music, as well as NBA legends and WNBA players.
During the NBA All-Star weekend, the NBA will continue to lend a hand in the community through NBA Cares events. NBA Cares will partner with schools, government, and local non-profit organizations in Houston and surrounding areas to highlight the league’s grassroots and community initiatives that reach millions of young people and their parents while providing critical resources to community-based programs.
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