Getty
Amon-Ra St. Brown is a significant part of the the Detroit Lions’ success, and he remains a key part of their brand.
Amon-Ra St. Brown and the Detroit Lions rounded out their 2025-26 season on a high note, pulling out all the stops to beat their former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears in the Windy City with a 19-16 final score. As always, St. Brown was a significant part of the the team’s success, and he remains a key part of their brand.
But, on Friday, February 13, St. Brown is going to do something that has nothing to do with football. It may surprise some Detroit Lions royalists, too.
St. Brown is taking off his Detroit Lions uniform and playing in a totally different sport, along with one of his rivals. You can watch the action, too.
Watch Detroit Lions Wide Receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown During the Offseason
The NBA has officially announced that St. Brown will be part of the league’s 2026 Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game. In a post on the NBA’s official website, they say he’ll be playing in the game, which is Friday, February 13, at 7 p.m. Eastern time. The event will air on ESPN.
The only other NFL player slated to play is Los Angeles Chargers star Keenan Allen. The event takes place at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California.
For for St. Brown, he’ll play on the team that features Detroit actor Keegan-Michael Key, multi-platinum rapper GloRilla, ESPN Senior NBA Insider Shams Charania, NBA legend and champion Jeremy Lin and Emmy-winning actor and reigning NBA All-Star Celebrity Game MVP Rome Flynn. His team will be coached by the three Antetokoumpo brothers and Los Angeles Dodgers Mookie Betts
The 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend is in Full Swing
So, St. Brown and the celebrity matchup kick off the weekend. But, the main event, the general NBA All-Star Game, is set for Sunday, February 15, at the Los Angeles Clippers‘ home arena in Inglewood, California, with the game beginning at 5 p.m. Eastern time. It’s the 75th edition of the game.
“For the first time, the All-Star Game will feature a ‘USA vs. World’ round-robin tournament format, including two American teams – Team USA Stars and Team USA Stripes – that will compete against Team World,” the official Olympics website shared of the game.
“The format marks the third change in three years as the league continues searching for ways to boost competitiveness after fan criticism of recent All-Star contests,” they add about the event. “The NBA briefly returned to an East vs. West format in 2024 before experimenting with last year’s mini-tournament led by former NBA stars and Rising Stars participants.”
There’s bag at stake, too. According to the official rules, each contest will consist of 12-minute games, leading into a final championship matchup between the top two teams. “Each player on the championship team will receive $125,000 U.S., runners-up earn $50,000 U.S. and players on the third-place squad take home $25,000 U.S.,” the Olympics website explains.
Some of the bigger names in the NBA won’t be able to participate because of injuries, including Shai Gilgeous Alexander and Steph Curry. Stepping in are Rockets’ Alperen Şengün and the Toronto Raptors‘ Brandon Ingram, respectively.
Anne Erickson is an award-winning reporter for Heavy Sports covering the NFL, NBA and college football. Anne Erickson has years of experience covering the NFL and additional sports, and her work has been published via ESPN, Fox Sports and more. She has interviewed some of the biggest names in sports, including Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff. Erickson also hosts several podcasts and is a Detroit-based radio host. More about Anne Erickson
More Heavy on Lions
Loading more stories