The rosters for the annual NBA celebrity game are complete. The most surprising name on the list is Memphis Grizzlies' owner Robert Pera. Pera reportedly has the skills and the competitive spirit, as he, according to this offseason story from Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix, has challenged both fellow owner Michael Jordan and Grizzlies guard Tony Allen to one-on-one games in the past, only to be rebuffed.
2015 NBA Celebrity Game rosters: Kevin Hart, Grizzlies owner Robert Pera to participate
Three-time MVP Kevin Hart will be back and the Grizzlies’ owner will make his first appearance on the NBA celebrity game.
Kevin Hart, by now a fixture of the event (and TV screens everywhere) and a three-time Celebrity Game MVP, will be back on the court. Other notable participants are little league star Mo’ne Davis, actor Ansel Elgort, actor/rapper Common and WNBA star Skylar Diggins of the Tulsa Shock.
The two teams will be coached by Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony and movie director/Knicks fan Spike Lee. ESPN radio hosts Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg will be on the benches as assistants. The teams for the game, which will be held at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 13 at 7 p.m, have not yet been announced.
The game will feature a number of celebrities with basketball backgrounds, some of whom can actually play.
Arcade Fire lead singer Win Bulter, who is 6'4, played high school basketball in New Hampshire and once beat Raptors forward Amir Johnson in a three-point shooting contest.
Grizzlies owner Robert Pera played high school basketball in California and, according to this Bloomberg profile, trains with former San Jose State player Terry Cannon and has a weekly pickup basketball game with friends.
Mo’ne Davis is the captain of her high school’s varsity basketball team despite being just 13-years-old. Here’s a clip of her breaking an opponent’s ankles at the age of 10.
The game will be televised by ESPN.
Below is the full list of participants:
Abhishek Bachchan (Bollywood star)
Allan Houston (Former NBA All-Star and New York Knicks Assistant General Manager)
Ansel Elgort (“The Fault in Our Stars”)
Anthony Anderson (ABC’s “Blackish”)
Blake Leeper (Gold medal-winning U.S. Paralympic athlete)
Chadwick Boseman (“42”)
Chris Mullin (Basketball Hall of Famer, New York City native)
Common (“Selma”)
Kristen Ledlow (NBA TV’s “NBA Inside Stuff” co-host)
Mo’ne Davis (Little League World Series star)
Nick Cannon (“America’s Got Talent” host)
Michael Rapaport (actor, Knicks fan, director of ESPN 30 for 30’s “When the Garden was Eden”)
Robert Pera (Memphis Grizzlies owner)
Shoni Schimmel (WNBA’s Atlanta Dream)
Skylar Diggins (WNBA’s Tulsa Shock)
Tina Charles (WNBA’s New York Liberty)
Win Butler (lead singer of Arcade Fire)
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