B/R Exclusive: Diddy Takes You Inside His NBA All-Star Weekend Experiences

Diddy is the life of the party, be it in the hip-hop business or in the entertainment world—and he's also the life of NBA All-Star Weekend, a unique intersection of all his different endeavors.

There's arguably no bigger celebrity who's had a longtime presence—and involvement—at All-Star Weekend through the years than Diddy. Now, 17 years since first performing at All-Star Weekend in New York City, Diddy, to quote his song, is "coming home" to his birthplace to host multiple events throughout the next few days.

One of Diddy's brands, Ciroc, is partnering with the NBA and Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week to host the first-ever NBA All-Star All-Style event, a fashion show featuring members of the All-Star rosters airing this Saturday on TNT at 6:30 p.m. Another of his companies, Sean John, which is part of the weekend for the third straight year, is hosting an event with two-time All-Star John Wall on Thursday evening at Macy's Herald Square. And his other brands, including DeLeon Tequila and Revolt TV (which he owns), will be sponsoring parties from Thursday to Sunday.

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To tip things off, Bleacher Report spoke exclusively with Diddy, who reflected on his favorite All-Star memories, the evolution of NBA entertainment, how to throw the best party and much more. Diddy himself will be taking the stage with Snoop Dogg—their sons will be football teammates this fall at UCLA—at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night to open All-Star Weekend.

Bleacher Report: The last time All-Star Weekend was in New York City was in 1998, and you performed that weekend with Lil' Kim and The LOX (video below). What memories do you have looking back?

Diddy: It was kind of surreal to me in a sense, because back then, I was the first to represent the hip-hop world—and I got to sit in the front row. So coming from Harlem, humble beginnings, and then being able to be a success at that point and perform at All-Star Weekend, I never saw that coming.

B/R: You've been one of the biggest fixtures at All-Star Weekend through the years. What do you think you've brought to the festivities?

Diddy: I think I created a very cool, sexy atmosphere that was a little bit different [laughs]. I feel like I was a part of diversifying Celebrity Row—making sure there's representation from all nationalities. You think it's not important, but culturally, it's very important who the NBA associates with. And I'm proud to be one of the fixtures.

B/R: What are your thoughts about how the fashion and entertainment has evolved off the court since you first went to All-Star Weekend?

Diddy: The NBA is a genius at marketing, at making their biz big and also catering different activities to the fans. [The NBA] is savvy enough to understand that fashion plays a part in it, that they want the artists being around town, that they want them to be able to party, mix and mingle with the fans. The NBA wants it to be a mini-vacation for [the artists], for them to be celebrated. It comes across that way, and that's why I commit all my brands, because of the ROI [return on investment]. We have our hands full with the NBA.

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B/R: With your connection to the All-Star fashion show, what catches your eye about NBA-player style these days?

Diddy: I've been so impressed. Ten years ago, basketball players used to get flak for not being able to wear that European, New York, metropolitan fit. And then one day that changed. The NBA said, "We want ya'll to look like movie stars. We want ya'll to dress more sophisticated than rappers." [The NBA] started a whole fashion program. That's how savvy they are.

When I think of the NBA players, it's the most fashionable sport out there, hands down. And I know a lot of working money goes into that. They have, like, 100 games, and it's a fashion battle every game. They use that time to express themselves fashion-wise before and after the game. I think it's just another dimension to the game. So we wanted to be involved in not just the game, but involved in the lifestyle of the NBA.

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B/R: You can't talk about All-Star Weekend without talking about the parties, and you're a legend hosting those. Give me the five-step plan to a Diddy All-Star party.

Diddy: No. 1 is the DJ; the DJ is the sole controller. You have to find a DJ that knows how to make people dance. No. 2 is the guest list; you have to have the right people with the right positive energy. No. 3, you need some good-looking people in there. And of course, No. 4, you need Ciroc or you need DeLeon. No. 5, you need me.

B/R: What's been the best All-Star party you've ever thrown?

Diddy: I'm going to be honest with you, they get more intense every year. My parties just get bigger and bigger every year. People trust my brand and they know they're going to have a good time. So that's a good thing.

B/R: On the court, what players are you looking forward to watching this year?

Diddy: I want to see a real shootout/dunk contest. The possibility of seeing Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook in the backcourt is just historic—them going back and forth feeding each other. Not to mention, there's my man, "The Beard" [James Harden]. Imagine seeing those three on the court. It's a sports moment.

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B/R: Not many have experienced this, but what is it like sitting courtside interacting with players and other celebrities?

Diddy: You know, it's a big lovefest, man. You've got to understand the pressure is not on us. We're there to watch the people that we look up to in sports, and they see us and they look up to us, so they're showing off for us. And they're having fun at the same time. They talk to us, they're giving us high-fives, they talk to the crowd during the game.

People just don't realize that. They actually have conversations with almost everybody in the front row as they're playing the game. [All-Star Weekend] is a dope way to really connect entertainment and sports. It's like the most powerful streetball game you can ever go to.

B/R: In 2012, you came out on the court and Chase Budinger soared over you in the dunk contest (video below). And last year, you were one of Pharrell's special guests during the All-Star pregame concert. Any surprises this year?

Diddy: My surprises are coming Thursday night at [The Theater] at Madison Square Garden. I'm loaded up on that; it's my first time performing in the new year. And Snoop has never played at Madison Square Garden; people don't know that. Then after the concert, I'm going to enjoy the rest of the weekend in my city. I haven't been there in a while because I've also been in L.A. working. So it's like a coming-home party. It's like my birthday, New Year's Eve and Christmas all in one.

B/R: Tell me a cool, untold, behind-the-scenes story from All-Star Weekend.

Diddy: Oh, man. One of the big things that stands out was last year being backstage and the timing of it. All the players—each player that I looked up to—were backstage with me because they were going to be introduced while [Pharrell and I] were performing, which was something different. So just to see them all there and be taking pictures with them. It's like you're killing 30 birds with one stone. I didn't miss one person.

Also last year, I was dancing a little bit [on stage], and I looked up and LeBron was dancing with me. That was kind of surreal. He was like my dance partner. Things like that growing up, you never really imagine. These are the perks for all the hard work.

B/R: As they always say, ballers want to be rappers; rappers want to be ballers. So with that said, give me your favorite basketball lyric from a baller or rapper.

Diddy: The Sugarhill Gang, "Rapper's Delight." The lyrics are: "So after school, I take a dip in the pool / Which is really on the wall / I got a color TV so I can see the Knicks play basketball." I'm the guy in the car always singing [laughs].

B/R: Your buddy Jay Z had a stake in the Brooklyn Nets. Would you ever consider ownership of an NBA team one day?

Diddy: Nah. To be honest, I'm trying to make sure I have a quality in life, trying to hide as an executive. Let them work. I'm trying to just raise my kids and take care of my health and spend time with me a little bit. My new company and my new venture is my health and my spirit. That's like the biggest corporation I've ever started. It's called Sean Inc.

Jared Zwerling covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.