Big moments from NBA All-Star Weekend: Shaq, Babyface, Keith Urban and the court – IndyStar
The entertainment and culture around NBA’s All-Star Weekend spoke just as loudly as the game of basketball itself. In the midst of freezing temperatures and snow, talent from Indianapolis and beyond set the tone, leaving no corner of downtown without beats, beautiful art and buzz.
Among the marquee stars were Lil Wayne, DJ Zedd, Jelly Roll, Machine Gun Kelly and Shaquille O’Neal as DJ Diesel. With local artists and musicians — including Maxie and Double A — the weekend offered so many good options that even fans who carefully planned out their fun still might have experienced FOMO.
Here are some of the top cultural moments, including the Bicentennial Unity Plaza stretching its legs to host the launch celebration, Shaq’s take on a Circle City soul food favorite, and how celebrities fared on the NBA’s new glass LED court.
The Tip-Off: Indy shoutouts, smoke and fireworks
The first-of-its-kind official launch ceremony, emceed by B Swift, began with a bevy of Indy shoutouts and went out with smoke and fireworks on Feb. 15. Long’s Bakery, St. Elmo Steak House and other landmarks flashed on the big screens at a packed Bicentennial Unity Plaza outside Gainbridge Fieldhouse before Hoosier actor Mike Epps and WNBA star Tamika Catchings took the stage.
Then came the story of Larry Bird’s IndyCar ride down Fifth Avenue in New York to deliver Indiana’s bid to host the All-Star Game. (“Did they take out the back seat or what?” Catchings asked as she mused how the NBA legend fit into an IndyCar.)
Oscar Robertson to get statue:‘Important we continue to honor our heroes’
A sea of cheers greeted more players beloved by the Hoosier state: decorated Crispus Attucks and NBA star Oscar Robertson, Metta World Peace, Jermaine O’Neal and more Pacers. Later on, Tyrese Haliburton parted the crowd as he made his way from Maryland Street to the stage. And then the spotlight hit T-Pain for a rib-rattlingly loud, short and energetic concert, complete with the hit “Low.”
The NBA’s glass LED court debuted at a sparsely attended Celebrity Game
To answer the most urgent question first: The glass on the floor is not in the same format as the glass on your windows. Made up of many LED panels, it has elastic-like give and tiny circles that give traction to fast feet. As you might imagine, it offers big visual effects: Stars follow players’ paths and graphics appear after key plays. It’s capable of more, and we’ll see what the future holds.
As for the celebrities themselves? IndyCar driver Conor Daly, singer Jennifer Hudson and the rest of the actors, musicians and influencers took the game pretty seriously at a Lucas Oil Stadium that appeared not quite half full. But Peyton Manning — scheduled to be an assistant coach — didn’t attend, and no reason why was given.
Shaq shared his love of Kountry Kitchen
We know the big man has enjoyed many good meals, so he deeply endeared himself to Indianapolis when he commended a Circle City favorite. He called Kountry Kitchen Soul Food Place “the best soul food spot ever” — and even, in this day and age of Google, posted its address in his mini review on X to be sure his followers knew.
Keith Urban at Crossover
Country star Urban gave a stellar Saturday performance in an unorthodox location as part of NBA Crossover, the All-Star game’s fan event. From IndyStar reporter Rory Appleton’s review:
“He dropped an absolutely crushing “Days Go By,” which he spliced with a short cover sample of Big Audio Dynamite II’s ‘Rush.’
Review:Keith Urban gives stellar All-Star Weekend show amid a basketball court and a Kia
“Urban went into the crowd and set up on a small platform for a remarkable acoustic rendition of “You’ll Think of Me,” then signed his guitar and gave it to an audience member.
“There was confetti, band introductions, a Skynyrd-esque guitar duel, phone flashlights during the ballads. It was a normal country-rock show that just happened to be the appetizer for a slam dunk contest.”
Local art and music were popular stars of their own
People lined up along Georgia Street all weekend to take photos with the ice sculptures, which where carved by Jim Houser of Sub-Zero Ice Sculptures with Matthew Larsen and Chad Hartson of Ice Creations. The icy Larry Bird and his fellow basketball players didn’t drip — a silver lining of the weekend’s chilly temperatures.
Elsewhere, free entertainment abounded. At a weekend-long popup of the Butter fine-art fair, pieces were selling quickly and the “Melt” dance party was packed. Outside, murals, street art and giant painted basketball sculptures told Indiana stories all over downtown.
A lineup of local talent, including Maxie and Double A, as well as internationally acclaimed artist Sonny Digital performed to crowds packed into the speakeasy-feeling Nap City: The Basement on Washington Street. The Chreece-run event included an old-school video game vibe and polaroid-style backdrop photo wall to deliver nostalgic vibes.
Babyface lent his golden pipes to the National Anthem
The multiple Grammy-winning Indianapolis native delivered an acoustic performance with the aid of his shining white guitar at Sunday night’s All-Star Game. What’s more, Babyface took the challenging anthem to a new level, drawing cheers each time he dressed the ends of phrases with a few improvisatory notes in the silky higher register of his voice.
Preceding him was Charlotte Cardin, who sang a moving, spot-on version of “O Canada.”
Jennifer Hudson blew the crowd away at halftime
The centerpiece of the singer’s performance was “I Got This.” Already a piece that shows her vocals, she leveraged the live concert to unleash sheer power with cascading improvisation during her solos — much to the joy of the audience.
Plenty of celebrities were in attendance
Stars congregated in the city all weekend, and many came to Sunday night’s game. Among them were Jadakiss, Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, Guy Fieri, Ivanka Trump, Jenny McCarthy, Donnie Wahlberg and Bill Murray.
And as much as the regular folk were watching them, at least one of them was looking at us, too.
“My favorite part is looking at all the people,” actor Murray said in a live interview shown on the jumbotron before Sunday’s All-Star Game.
“It’s amazing to see all these people who are so different — they’re dressed so differently. And the one thing they do agree on is they want to be here and watch a great basketball game.”
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Contact IndyStar reporter Domenica Bongiovanni at 317-444-7339 or [email protected]. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter: @domenicareports.
