As the NBA has evolved, so too has its midseason showcase.
The league’s 75th All-Star Game takes place Sunday at Intuit Dome and Kelly Flatow, executive vice president and head of the events group at the NBA noted how things have changed since the last time the event was in Los Angeles.
“This will be my 20th All-Star and I joined the events group in 2016, so I was responsible for All-Star when it was here at Staples Center in 2018,” she said. “So it’s great to be back in L.A.”
There is plenty in store for the public this year — both in Inglewood and the downtown area.
One key component of the All-Star spectacle is NBA Crossover — a chance for fans to experience the sport through pop culture, fashion, technology, music and entertainment.
“Every year All-Star grows in different shapes and forms,” Flatow said. “What we used to call a weekend is now an entire week. In fact, the Clippers have done an incredible job making All-Star an entire season long celebration of the game.”
Ludacris, performing at One Musicfest at Piedmont Park in Atlanta in October, will be the featured artist at NBA Crossover on Friday at the Convention Center.
(Paul R. Giunta / invision / via Associated Press)
In November, the organization launched a three-on-three tournament, 75 days ahead of what will be the 75th game. It initiated “Homecourt Hoops,” a program which has given away 75 outdoor hoops every day. At the Rising Stars mini-tournament Friday, Clippers chairman Steve Ballmer and NBA commissioner Adam Silver will give out the final set of hoops to deserving families.
“We look at this as a global celebration of the game and given the unique geography of this city it’s important to cover as much of the greater Los Angeles area as possible,” Flatow said. “You’ll see that with our key venues.
“Obviously we’re showcasing Intuit Dome and also the Kia Forum where we’ve held two All-Star Games in the past and this coming weekend we’re going to hold a series of events there. On Friday night we have the celebrity game, which has always been a mainstay of our All-Star festivities, but one of the things we didn’t have when we were here eight years ago is the NBA HBCU Classic. This will be the fifth time for that.”
The All-Star Celebrity Game tips off at 4 p.m. and aims to please as Mookie Betts from the World Series champion Dodgers will coach one of the teams and actor/comedian Anthony Anderson will coach the other. Betts’ squad includes rapper GloRilla, Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and retired Brazilian soccer star Cafu while Anderson’s roster features Canadian actor Simu Liu, Chargers wideout Keenan Allen and former NBA player Jason “White Chocolate” Williams. At halftime the K-pop group Cortis will perform.
The Celebrity Game will be followed by the HBCU Classic between Coastal Athletic Assn. rivals North Carolina A&T and Hampton.
“NBA Crossover is offering even more ways for fans to get in on the action,” said Flatow, who vividly recalls her first All-Star Game as an NBA employee in Las Vegas in 2007. “The Convention Center will be transformed into a fan destination with live performers, customized experiences, retail offerings, NBA partner activations, player [and] talent appearances, panel discussions, memorabilia displays and more. There will be concerts Thursday, Friday and Saturday. This is about putting Los Angeles and our game on the global stage.”
Flatow cited 27 different marketing partners and brands teaming up with the NBA. The All-Star Game on Sunday will be broadcast in 200 countries and territories. She also lauded the biggest merchandise village in the history of the event and ticket data confirms there will be fans from all 50 states and from 44 countries.
The Clippers are hosting with their All-Star City of Stars Alliance the DJ Cassidy Pass the Mic Live! event Saturday night at Kia Forum — an ensemble of hip-hop and R&B royalty that will feature Ashanti, Busta Rhymes, Ja Rule, Lil Kim and others.
Three concerts will highlight the Crossover extravaganza — the hip-hop band Cortis on Thursday, rapper Ludacris on Friday and the country, Americana and hip-hop singer Shaboozey on Saturday. A beats & brunch event with DJ Pauly D will follow on Sunday.
“When we were we here in 2018, I don’t know if the phenomenon of influencers even existed yet but certainly now in 2026 creators are such a big part of pop culture so we’ve got some amazing creators,” Flatow said. “State Farm is doing a three-point contest with comedian Druski and we’ve added a Creator Court along with what we’ll call Hardcourt Central, a festival-like area where they’ll be food trucks, musical performances and more. There’ll be lots of opportunities to shoot hoops and meet your favorite players and legends like Oscar Robertson, Dr. J, Robert Horry and Mitch Richmond.”
Late Sunday morning, 24 of the NBA G League’s most dynamic players, 10 of whom were selected by fan vote, will show off their skills in the Next Up Game, part of the Crossover spectacle at the Convention Center. Seats will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
“The G League wasn’t part of the All-Star experience last time we were here in 2018,” Flatow said. “We created a G League Park with an NBA Crossover, so on Saturday one of the things people can do is watch the G League dunk contest, always a fan favorite, then on Sunday at G League Park will be the G League Next Up Game and that’s included in the Crossover entry cost.
“Because there are so many things we’re adding and that we’ll be announcing in the next few days I encourage everyone to go to the NBA events app and see the full schedule, which will be updated in real time.”