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NBA All-Star Weekend tipped off Friday with its annual Celebrity Game and the Castrol Rising Stars event, drawing entertainers, athletes, and media personalities to the court ahead of Sunday’s main showcase.
This year’s celebrity matchup featured a mix of Hollywood talent and pro athletes. Keegan-Michael Key, Simu Liu, GloRilla, Nicolas Vansteenberghe, Mustard, and Shams Charania all laced up for the exhibition. NFL standouts Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions and Keenan Allen of the Los Angeles Chargers added speed to the floor, while the Antetokounmpo brothers and Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts took coaching duties on the sidelines.
Rome Flynn led the action, pouring in 17 points and earning MVP honors for the second straight year. He previously claimed the award during the 2025 edition of the game. In a lighthearted moment after the final buzzer, Anthony Anderson and Donald Faison playfully swiped Flynn’s trophy.
Team Giannis secured a 65 to 58 win over Team Anthony. The contest tightened late when Team Anthony activated double time, allowing baskets to count for twice their value and tying the score at 55. Flynn responded with consecutive three-pointers to help Team Giannis regain control.
Throughout the game, Anderson, mic’d up as coach, urged his squad to protect the paint against Tacko Fall.
Afterward, Antetokounmpo reflected on the experience with ESPN’s Monica McNutt. “This is exhausting, this is how coach Doc (Rivers) feels?,” he said. “I just enjoy winning. But it’s definitely hard like, making the subs. Not everybody is going to play. But I think everyone did a good job just playing hard and playing to win.”