NBA All-Star Weekend: Blake Griffin and Kevin Love on the Red Carpet

As newly-minted, first-time NBA All-Stars, rookie phenom Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers and rebounding machine Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves teamed up to throw a celebration of their own at the Conga Room at LA Live in downtown Los Angeles.

The party, known officially as the "Friday Night B4 All-Star Party" presented by Myspace and Capital A Entertainment, drew some big-name attendees along with big-time performers, even with a pretty heavy downpour and LeBron James and Arnold Schwarzenegger holding a "shindig" of their own downstairs at Katsuya.

I had the opportunity to stake out the event for the evening. Read on to see who came through and what they had to say. 

Shaquille O'Neal Rolls Up with an Entourage

Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 19: Shaquille O'Neal of the Boston Celtics with girlfriend Nicole 'Hoopz' Alexander sit courtside as they attend NBA All-Star Saturday night presented by State Farm at Staples Center on February 19, 2011 in Los Angeles, Califor

The evening got off to an interesting start when Shaquille O'Neal rolled up to the party...with an entourage of at least 100 people.

Of course, that number is entirely speculative, but he had quite a group join him at the festivities. Among those who walked in as part of the "Shaq Attack" were Oscar-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr. and Tia Carrere, perhaps best known for her role as Cassandra in the Wayne's World movies of the early 1990s.

Unfortunately, The Big Shamrock was a bit preoccupied with getting his extensive crew into the Conga Room, but it seemed as though they partied on...Wayne.  

Milwaukee Bucks' Brandon Jennings Stops To Chat

Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images

ATLANTA - MAY 2: Guard Brandon Jennings #3 of the Milwaukee Bucks dribbles with the ball during Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Atlanta Hawks during the 2010 NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena on May 2, 2

Soon after Shaq and co. rolled through, Milwaukee Bucks second-year point guard Brandon Jennings made an appearance on the red carpet, decked out in shiny red shoe "bling" and stopped by to talk with us.

How would you compare your experience in the NBA thus far to your time playing abroad in Rome?

Brandon: Oh man, the experience in Rome was awesome because I got a chance to travel around the world and stuff like that. The NBA is totally different—82 games and going around the whole United States is totally different, going against the best of the best every day.

How does it feel to be back home in LA for the All-Star Game? 

Brandon: It feels great. Home is home, and, you know, you’re always comfortable when you’re at home. 

What are your expectations for the second half for you and the Milwaukee Bucks? 

Brandon: Make the playoffs and make shots.

Blake Griffin Talks Being a Rookie Phenom and Dunking

Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 18: Blake Griffin #32 of the Los Angeles Clippers and the Rookie Team goes after a loose ball in the second half during the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge and Youth Jam at Staples Center on February 18, 2011 in Los Angeles, Californ

Once Brandon was inside and settled, Blake Griffin, the man of the hour himself, made his way into the Conga Room but not before letting up a few hints about his plans for the dunk contest.

How does it feel to be an All-Star as a rookie, playing in the city where you play every day? 

Blake: It’s crazy. It’s been a blast, to be honest, to see how far I’ve come. I’m just hoping to keep it going and use this as motivation. 

What are your expectations for the second half for you and the rest of the Los Angeles Clippers? 

Blake: You know, hopefully just keep getting better and keep working toward our goal. Just put ourselves in a better position. 

Any hints as to what we’re going to see at the Dunk Contest? 

Blake: All I’m going to say is Baron Davis is going to be out there with me, probably for more than one dunk.

Dallas Cowboys' Terence Newman Makes an Appearance

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 19: Cornerback Terence Newman #41 of the Dallas Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium on September 19, 2010 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Of course, not everyone who walked the red carpet was a basketball luminary.

Case in point: Dallas Cowboys cornerback and two-time Pro Bowler Terence Newman made the stroll into the Conga Room and shared a few words with us on the way in.

How does it feel to be here at NBA All-Star Weekend? Are you digging the vibes here? 

Terence: Yeah, for sure. You know, we had it in Dallas last year, different vibe out here but same “spread out-ness” as it is in Dallas. I’m looking forward to a good game this weekend. 

Moving on to football, how are you feeling about Jason Garrett as the Cowboys new head coach? 

Terence: Jason Garrett’s going to be nice, man. We’ve got Garrett, we’ve got Rob Ryan. Next year is going to be a big year for us. 

Will there be a next year? 

Terence: There’ll be a next year. I think there’ll be football. I think the deal will get done before camp or right after camp gets started because the owners are going to lose a lot of money if there’s no football, so I think it’s going to get done. 

Assuming there is a season, how do you think the Cowboys are going to fare, considering last season’s struggles? 

Terence: For sure, I mean, I think we’re going to be pushing for a Super Bowl. It’s been a while since we’ve been to a Super Bowl. We’ve got a revamped defense, the offense is going to be nice and it’s about our time. 

Pro Bowl for you too? 

Terence: Oh yeah, we’re doing all of it—Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, every other bowl you can think of.

Kevin Love Cleans Up on the Red Carpet

Elsa/Getty Images

BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 03: Kevin Love #42 of the Minnesota Timberwolves drives around Jermaine O'Neal #7 of the Boston Celtics on January 3, 2011 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics defeated the Timberwolves 96-93. NOTE TO USER: User exp

Kevin Love arrived to the party just in time to catch the big performances by Fabolous and Snoop Dogg.

The third-year forward for the Minnesota Timberwolves was gracious enough to check in with B/R to talk about his success this season.  

How does it feel to be back in LA, making your first All-Star appearance in the city where you played your college ball? 

Kevin: Oh man, it feels great to be back here in front of a lot of peers that I went to school with. Obviously, I was born here. And just to be around such great players on a team and play against a team with such great players, so it’s very sweet to be here, especially after having so many ties here 

You’re having an amazing season. What’s been the difference in your game between this season and your previous two? What have you done differently? 

Kevin: A lot of it is opportunity, but a lot of it is confidence as well. I haven’t done too much differently. Obviously, I continued to work on my game, but a lot of it is confidence that exudes from me, and I just try to keep it moving. 

So, you had your 30-30 game—that was incredible—did you get to talk to Moses Malone afterward? 

Kevin: No, I’m supposed to meet him this weekend. Hopefully, he’ll be at this party tonight, but we’ll see. 

What are your expectations for the second half? 

Kevin: We just want to continue to make big things happen and hopefully keep pressing on.

Fabolous and Snoop Dogg Entertain the Guests

Once the guests of honor had arrived, we had the privilege of going inside a packed Conga Room to see Fabolous and Snoop Dogg perform. 

Snoop, in particular, brought the energy to a whole new level, playing such standards as "Gin and Juice" and "Drop It Like It's Hot" while Lakers forward Matt Barnes, Kevin Love and Blake Griffin made their way around the club.

All in all, it was an exciting night in downtown LA for everyone involved, and things only figure to get more interesting from here on out.