Nicki Minaj to Perform at 2017 NBA Awards Show
The inaugural NBA Awards show will be a full Young Money affair. Not only will Drake be hosting the awards, set for June 26 (9 p.m. ET on TNT), but the NBA also announced Thursday that fellow YM artist Nicki Minaj will perform at the festivities.
The NBA Awards are set to be held at Pier 36 in New York City and will hand out every major individual award. Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Kawhi Leonard were named finalists for the NBA MVP. Rudy Gobert, Draymond Green and Leonard are the Defensive Player of the Year finalists.
A full list of nominees for every award, which includes some fan voting, was announced last week.
Inside the NBA's Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal will make appearances, as will a series of celebrity presenters and NBA stars.
Minaj is fresh off an opening performance at the Billboard Music Awards and is ramping up the promotion for her as-yet-untitled fourth studio album, which is due out this year. She has released three promotional singles for the album, including "No Frauds," which features Drake.
Odds are high Drake and Minaj will grace the stage together for a performance of the Remy Ma diss track, though Drizzy was not on stage when Nicki sang the track at the BBMAs.
Once estranged over Minaj's relationship with Drake rival Meek Mill, the YMCMB originals have reunited in recent months musically and in public appearances. Drake also referred to Nicki as the "love of his life" in an acceptance speech at the Billboard Awards.
Their appearance together at the NBA Awards, where Drake is also serving as a producer, will likely lead to a few fun moments.
