NBA Celebrity All-Star Game 2019: Rosters, Final Score and MVP Predictions
The Celebrity All-Star Game has become one of the traditions of the NBA All-Star Weekend.
This year's game at the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina, will be played Friday night at 7 p.m. and will be televised by ESPN.
The celebrity game usually has a theme to it, and this year's is "Hometown Hero." Each roster will honor a hero who helped others during crisis situations.
The home team features Jason Weinmann, a military veteran who rescued residents from New Bern, North Carolina, who were stranded during Hurricane Florence.
The away team honors James Shaw Jr., the hero who disarmed the gunman during the Waffle House shooting in Antioch, Tennessee.
The home team features celebrities, musicians and athletes who are from North Carolina or South Carolina.
The list of celebrities on both teams is notable, and it also stands out because of one name that is missing.
Nick Cannon has played in 10 previous celebrity games, but he is not taking part this year. TV personality Terrence Jenkins is the veteran of this year's celebrities, and he is scheduled to play in his fifth celebrity game.
NBA Celebrity Rosters (per NBA.com)
Home
Mike Colter, Luke Cage actor
Chris Daughtry, recording artist
Terrence J, on-air host, actor
Famous Los, comedian, social media influencer
Dr. Oz, television personality
Rapsody, rapper, recording artist
Bo Rinehart, NEEDTOBREATHE vocalist and musician
JB Smoove, actor, comedian
Steve Smith, NFL great
A'ja Wilson, 2018 WNBA Rookie of the Year
Jay Williams, ESPN college basketball analyst
Jason Weinmann, hometown hero
Away
Ronnie 2K, Director of Influencer Marketing, 2K Sports
Ray Allen, Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer
AJ Buckley, SEAL Team actor
Bad Bunny, recording artist
Stefanie Dolson, WNBA's Chicago Sky center
Marc Lasry, co-owner, Milwaukee Bucks
Hasan Minhaj, actor, comedian, host of Netflix's Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj
Quavo, rapper, recording artist
Adam Ray, comedian, About Last Night podcast
Amanda Seales, actor, comedian, recording artist
James Shaw Jr., hometown hero
Brad Williams, comedian, About Last Night podcast
TV Information
Date: Friday, Feb. 15
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN or WatchESPN
The game should be light-hearted fun, but it will feature several off-the-court stars who picture themselves as good players.
When it comes down to it, though, former NBA player and Hall of Famer Ray Allen, ex-NFL wide receiver Steve Smith, and WNBA stars Stefanie Dolson and A'ja Wilson should be the most talented athletes on the court.
Allen and Dolson are on the away team, whereas Smith and Wilson are on the home team.
If those four athletes cancel each other out, the game could come down to ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Williams taking over for the home team in a battle with Quavo of the away team.
Williams was a star guard at Duke and seemed destined for a dynamic career in the NBA until it was ruined by a motorcycle accident.
Quavo is the frontman for Migos, and he won the MVP in last year's celebrity All-Star Game in Los Angeles.
Hall of Famer Dawn Staley will coach the home team, while Sue Bird of the Seattle Storm will handle the coaching duties for the away team.
Predictions
Celebrity All-Star games are usually not high-scoring contests, but they often feature enough offense to keep the fans interested. Last year's game saw 141 points scored, as Team Clippers defeated Team Lakers, 75-66.
While it's difficult to make a call in any Celebrity Game, the away team looks quite strong with Allen, Dotson and Quavo.
We see the away team winning by 70-60 margin, with Quavo coming away with his second MVP award. He knows what it feels like to be the best player on the court, and he can make it happen a second time.
