The NBA always brings some special treats to its All-Star Weekend. The 2017 edition will be no exception. The league has announced that before Sunday’s All-Star Game it will broadcast an original NBA-themed musical composed by The Roots and starring a number of talented actors and musicians.
The Roots and friends are performing a basketball musical before the NBA All-Star Game
This is going to be something alright.
Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images
In addition to The Roots, the musical’s cast will include actor Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale Station, Creed), actor and rapper Daveed Diggs (the original Thomas Jefferson and Marquis de Lafayette in the musical Hamilton), DJ Jazzy Jeff, recording artist Jidenna (best known for “Classic Man”), and rapper Darryl “DMC” McDaniels.
The musical is called “The Evolution of Greatness” and the league says it will trace the NBA’s history since the 1950s.
This has the potential to be amazing. How could it not be with The Roots behind it and all that talent, especially Jordan and Diggs, involved? However, the crowd at the All-Star Game is notoriously stuffy, with loads of media and suits. Most NBA All-Star performances — both pregame and halftime — get awkward responses from the crowd. “The Evolution of Greatness” could definitely fall victim to that within the Smoothie King Center (which is an actual name for an actual NBA arena).
The NBA also announced that DNCE and DJ Khaled will perform (separately, we pray) during NBA All-Star Saturday festivities. Louisianan Jon Baptiste will perform the U.S. national anthem before Sunday’s game, and Nikki Yanofsky will perform the Canadian anthem.
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