NBA All-Star Weekend
Thursday, Feb. 17
On Thursday, Feb. 17 LA Clipper Baron Davis with his foundation, Rising Start of America, challenged a few of his good friends to a race around a car obstacle course in the new Lexus CT 200h. The race, which took place across the street from the Staples center, drew quite a crowd of celebrities, athletes and big names to begin gearing up for the 2011 All-Star game. Lexus gave Davis’ foundation $1000 for each celebrity who participated. Attendees included: DJ Skee, John Salley, Hill Harper, Boris Kodjoe, Terrell Owens, April Ross, Cash Warren, Dule Hill, Michael Strahan, Tichina Arnold, Jesse Metcalfe and Jessica Alba.
The following day on Friday, February 18, LeBron James and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger threw fundraiser to benefit After School All-Stars which gives programs to underprivileged kids at Katsuya in LA. At the event, hoop heroes Chris Bosh and Lebron James were honored for their contributions to the charity. The two have donated large amounts of money to the charity based on their performance on the courts. Phillip Merk, CEO of Audemars Piguet and Francois-Henry Bennahmias, CEO of Audemars Piguet North America also presented a $2 million check to the foundation to go towards helping students. At this event, Arnold Schwarzenegger also unveiled his new watch, The Legacy Royal Oak Offshore timepiece, that he announced recently in Switzerland. Chris Brown and Tara Reid attended the event.
That same day, many of the stars geared up for the actual event with the BBVA NBA All-Star Celebrity game. Justin Bieber, Rob Kardashian, Zach Levi, Romeo Miller, Jalen Rose, Trey Songz, Swin Cash, RIck Fox and A.C. Green played for the West team. Magic Johnson was the head coach and Jimmy Kimmel was the general manager. Nick Cannon, Tamike Catchings, Common, Arne Duncan, Chriss Mullin, Scottie Pippen, Michael Rapaport, Mitch Richmond and Jason Sudeikis played for the East. Bill Walton was the head coach and Bill Simmons was the general manager. After a tough game back and forth between the two teams, the Eastern conference claimed the victory — while Bieber in the Western conference claimed a personal victory for himself as MVP of the game.
While there were many parties and events on the week following up to the All-Star game, on Sunday, February 20, the biggest party of the week was finally getting started. Nick Cannon hosted the pre-game show on the magenta carpet, sponsored by T-Mobile, as the stars began arriving to the game. Some of the celebrities and athletes that stopped by include Chris Bosh and LeBron James of the Miami Heat, Maria Menounos, Dwayne Wade, Deron Williams, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwight Howard, P. Diddy, Ellen Pompeo, Kellan Lutz, and Sara Ramirez. Keri Hilson got the party started with a variety of old and new songs while Bruno Mars energized the crowd with his Grammy-winning single, “Just The Way You Are.”
Later in the night, the stars headed over to the 2011 NBA All-Star Game, sponsored for the 5th time by the LA Clippers and Lakers, at the Staples Center in LA. Josh Grobin set the tone for the game with a solid performance of the national anthem. Celebrities that attended include Steven Tyler, Justin Bieber, Drake, Lil Wayne, John Legend, Christine Telgen, Dustin Hoffman, Jay-Z and Beyonce, Gene Simmons, Bruno Mars, Rupert Murdoch, and George Lopez. During the half-time show, Rihanna pumped up the crowd with a medley of her top hits and joined Kanye West to perform his new single, “All of the Lights.” At the end of the game, the Western conference, managed by San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popvich, won the game with a score of 148 to 143 — and Kobe Bryant was named MVP of the night for his 13th consecutive all-star selection.
