The purpose was for fun and charity, but that didn’t mean players didn’t play hard at the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game.
The game was close, players from both teams gave their best. Both teams recorded their fair share of steals, and Team Dwyane — coached by Miami Heat legend and current Utah Jazz minority owner Dwyane Wade — fought hard in the paint and chased rebounds.
Ultimately, Wade’s team won Friday’s game at the Huntsman Center, beating Team Ryan — led by Jazz majority owner Ryan Smith — by a score of 81-78.
On Wade’s team, actor Simu Liu, known for starring in Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and is listed at 5’11, didn’t let the larger players around him fight for rebounds . Teammate Hasan Minhaj, the comedian, set multiple picks for rapper 21 Savage.
Wade also had a wrestler in the second half: former Utah jazz legend Carlos Boozer.
The game, a precursor to Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game, kicked off. Team Ryan almost ended it with a half-field shot from WWE Superstar The Miz, who left his fingers just after the final buzzer.
MVP of the game was Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf, who hit a series of slam dunks for Team Dwyane.
The game raised $100,000 for Howard University in Washington DC, which was paid for by the NBA and the game’s sponsor, Ruffles Potato Chips.
Wade and Smith raised another $63,000 for charity with a three-point contest between the third and fourth quarters. Each successful shot was worth $3,000 and Smith beat Wade 11 to 10 shots.
The Huntsman Center was packed and even had a few basketball stars on the courts – legend Shaquille O’Neal and current jazz all-star Lauri Markkanen. The Jazz Dancers were in attendance, and 2020 America’s Got Talent semifinalists The Spyros Bros gave a halftime performance.
Smith’s team was filled with athletic talent: In addition to The Miz, his roster included WNBA All-Star Diamond DeShields, newly retired St. Louis Cardinals hitter Albert Pujols, and retired Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson. He also had rappers Cordae and Ozuna, country singer Kane Brown, actors Everett Osborne and Sinqua Walls, TV host Marcos Mion, and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” pal Guillermo Rodriguez.
Rounding out Team Dwyane were actress/singer Janelle Monae, Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh, actor/musician Nicky Jam, tennis player Frances Tiafoe, WNBA All-Star Arike Ogunbowale, YouTube creator Jesser and peleton coach Alex Toussaint.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Rapper Cordae on the red carpet prior to the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game at the Jon M. Huntsman Center on Friday, February 17, 2023.
Excitement on the red carpet
On the pregame red carpet, Smith said the All-Star weekend so far “feels pretty normal for Utah. We have prepared for this and it all comes together in a convincing event.”
When asked if the weekend could change outsiders’ perceptions of Utah, Smith said, “I think we in Utah have more of an idea of what we think others are thinking than what they actually think. … Everyone knows how special it is here.”
Liu reiterated his love for Utah, noting that he enjoys the snow and weather since he’s from Canada. He noted that he was out of breath on his first shoot-around. “I feel like a pro athlete because I can talk through the air,” he joked.
Minhaj said he’s not just there to represent the browns, but “I’m representing the weekend warriors of all the types that were at their prime 15 years ago,” he joked. “Boys who play 24-hour gym every other Saturday, to the chagrin of their partners.”
He also noted his excitement at being on the same team as Singh and excited to see what he would wear on the red carpet. “Nobody makes people famous like Bollywood,” Minhaj said.
Known for his colorful attire and swag on the red carpet, Singh delivered once again, adorned head to toe in Gucci from sunglasses to handbag. The first staple of his fit, he told The Tribune, was the white jacket by Rhycni, a Mumbai-based designer.
Singh spoke about his debut Bollywood film Band Baaja Baaraat and how nerve wracking it was working on the film. “I had no idea, I was so raw, I did what I could. I didn’t know much about the craft or how to be on a movie set or anything.”
He said he did his best and was able to make a career out of it and he wants to apply the same to his work on the pitch for the game.
“It is a great honor and privilege to be here and have the opportunity to engage and interact with one of my sporting heroes, Dwyane Wade,” said Singh. “I’ve followed him and his expertise on the pitch for so many years so I’m really, really looking forward to playing.”
Singh says his skills are defensive and that he has a lot of cardiovascular ability, so he plans to tell his coach he can run back and forth as needed.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Ben Affleck speaks about his new film, Air, during a press conference at the Huntsman Center on Friday, February 17, 2023.
Affleck about Michael Jordan
Before the game, actor/director Ben Affleck drew the media to talk about his upcoming film Air, a film that chronicles the history of the Air Jordan shoe that took the basketball industry by storm.
Affleck – who directed the film and plays Nike founder Phil Knight – introduced the game’s players and coaches along with his son Sam.
At a press conference, Affleck spoke enthusiastically about the film, which hits theaters on April 5.
“If it’s about anything, it’s about what Michael Jordan meant to the sports world, to the world at large, the way he was and what he did that changed sport and changed sports marketing [and] the way athletes were compensated and treated,” Affleck said.
Jordan doesn’t appear in the film, but Affleck spoke to him – and said the former Chicago Bulls star has exceptional integrity. The film is not authorized by Jordan and Jordan was not paid to have his name used in the film.
Jordan’s only request, Affleck said, was that Viola Davis would play his mother.
“One of the things about big global icons is that they manage to mean something to people around the world,” Affleck said. “People around the world obviously have very different experiences and lives and stories — and what’s remarkable is that we can all still connect to that one person from our different places.”
Affleck said he looked through old family photos and found pictures from 1985 of himself and his brother Casey wearing Air Jordans.
“In my experience, if you’re lucky, you have an experience like this movie every 15 years,” Affleck said. “I love it and I hope audiences love it as much as I do.”
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