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ESPN to Televise NBA All-Star Celebrity Game

ESPN Radio and ESPN International to Broadcast 59^th NBA All-Star Game
 

ESPN Inc.’s comprehensive coverage of NBA All-Star 2010 will tip off with ESPN’s telecast of the 2010 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game Presented by Final Fantasy XIII Friday, Feb. 12, at 7 p.m. ET.  The game, held at the Dallas Convention Center, will also be simulcast on ESPN360.com and ESPN Mobile TV.  Participants will include actors Chris Tucker, Joel Moore (Avatar) and Michael Rapaport, Grammy Award-winner Common, NFL star Terrell Owens, former NBA players Rick Fox, Robert Horry and Chris Mullin, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, WNBA players Becky Hammon and Angel McCoughtry,  PGA Tour golfer Anthony Kim, several members of the Harlem Globetrotters, and more. 

ESPN analyst Magic Johnson and former NBA standout Alonzo Mourning will coach the teams, with Extra host Mario Lopez and recording artist Drake serving as assistant coaches.  ESPN’s lead play-by-play commentator Mike Breen will referee the game. ESPN’s Mark Jones will provide play-by-play commentary with analyst Jon Barry and reporter Stuart Scott.  The telecast will include interviews with several NBA All-Stars. 

Celebrity Game rosters (subject to change): 

ESPN Radio
For the 14^th consecutive year, ESPN Radio will provide comprehensive coverage of NBA All-Star events – including all of the following events – culminating with the NBA All-Star Game Sunday, Feb. 14, at 8 p.m.  Jim Durham will provide play-by-play for the events with analyst and Hall of Famer Dr. Jack Ramsay and reporters Ric Bucher and Shelley Smith, with studio host Mark Kestecher and studio analyst Will Perdue. 

Friday, Feb. 12, at 9 p.m., T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam – Memphis’ O.J. Mayo, New Jersey’s Brook Lopez and Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook will lead a sophomore class against the rookie team featuring Golden State’s Stephen Curry, Milwaukee’s Brandon Jennings and Sacramento’s Tyreke Evans. 

Saturday, Feb. 13, at 6 p.m., Meet the All-Stars – interviews with players and other personalities attending NBA All-Star events. 

Saturday, Feb. 13, 8:30-11 p.m., NBA All-Star Saturday Night

• Haier Shooting Stars – for the sixth straight year, four teams consisting of an NBA player, WNBA player and former NBA player will compete in a timed shooting event.  This year’s participants: Atlanta (Joe Johnson, Hawks; Angel McCoughtry, Dream; former Hawk Steve Smith); Los Angeles (Pau Gasol, Lakers; Marie Ferdinand-Harris, Sparks; Brent Barry, former Clipper); Sacramento (Tyreke Evans, Kings; Nicole Powell, former Monarch; former King Chris Webber); Texas (Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks; Becky Hammon, San Antonio Silver Stars; Kenny Smith, former Houston Rocket).
• Taco Bell Skills Challenge – four NBA stars will compete in an obstacle course challenge that tests shooting, passing and dribbling skills. Chicago’s Derrick Rose will return to defend his title against Milwaukee’s Jennings, Phoenix’s Steve Nash and Utah’s Deron Williams.
• Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout – Miami’s Daequan Cook will attempt to defend last year’s triumph against Boston’s Paul Pierce, Denver’s Chauncey Billups, Golden State’s Curry, New York’s Danilo Gallinari and Phoenix’s Channing Frye.
• Sprite Slam Dunk – New York’s Nate Robinson will try and repeat against Charlotte’s Gerald Wallace, the Lakers’ Shannon Brown and either Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan or the Clippers’ Eric Gordon (DeRozan and Gordon will compete in a “dunk-in contest” to determine the fourth participant, which will be held at halftime of Saturday’s Rookie Challenge on ESPN Radio). 

Sunday, Feb. 14, 7:45 p.m., 59^th NBA All-Star Game – ESPN Radio will broadcast the action between the games’ elite players, including Kobe Bryant (Lakers), Tim Duncan (Spurs), Dwight Howard (Magic), LeBron James (Cavaliers) and Dwyane Wade (Heat). 

ESPN International
ESPN International will televise the NBA All-Star Game to 109 countries and territories throughout Asia (excluding China, Philippines and Taiwan) , Africa, Australia, Brazil, Canada (via TSN), the Caribbean, Japan (via JSB), New Zealand and the United Kingdom.  

News and Information
SportsCenter – Mark Jones will host SportsCenter’s coverage from Dallas with analyst Jon Barry and reports by Colleen Dominguez. ESPN’s Rome is Burning (M-F, 4:30 p.m.), Around the Horn (M-F, 5 p.m.), Pardon the Interruption (M-F, 5:30 p.m.) and ESPN2’s First Take (M-F, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.) will also provide NBA All-Star content. 

ESPNEWS – The nation’s only 24-hour sports news television network will feature guest and player interviews from Dallas. 

ESPN.com
ESPN.com will provide a special NBA All-Star Live page with video highlights of every event and in-depth perspective and information from ESPN’s analysts, reporters, and bloggers.  Former three-point champion Tim Legler will also preview the All-Star events and give his predictions for the Rookie Challenge, All-Star Saturday Night and the All-Star Game.  The site will also include an All-Star Scorecard featuring ESPN.com experts’ grades for the participants in each event.  

TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott will contribute on-site reports from Dallas.  Additionally, ESPNDallas.com will provide in-depth coverage of all the All-Star festivities and each local site in Chicago, Dallas, Boston and Los Angeles will follow players from the hometown cities throughout the weekend. 

ESPN Mobile
For a mobile interactive experience, through the App Store, users will be able to download for free a location- and event-based game app NBA on ESPN RV Chase, where fans can show their fandom by watching games, visiting locations, and accumulating points against others for bragging rights and virtual trophies.  Locations for the game include NBA arenas, ESPN Zone locations and NBA Store, among other local spots, where fans gather to watch their favorite teams and players.  The RV will be stationed in front of the Jam Session throughout the weekend in Dallas.

ESPN Classic
ESPN Classic will celebrate the NBA All-Star break with the following programming Saturday, Feb. 13:

• 10 a.m., 1972 NBA All-Star Game – Jerry West hit a last-second jumper in a 112-110 win for the West;
• 12 p.m., 1982 NBA All-Star Game – Larry Bird, Robert Parish and Nate Archibald led the East with a fourth quarter push to win 120-118;
• 2 p.m., 1988 NBA All-Star Game – Michael Jordan tallied 40 points for the MVP in a 138-133 East win;
• 4 p.m., 1993 NBA All-Star Game – John Stockton and Karl Malone led the West to a 135-132 OT win;
• 6 p.m., 2003 NBA All-Star Game – Michael Jordan’s final All-Star Game was a double-overtime loss as the West prevailed 155-145. 

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