The annual NBA All-Star Celebrity Game returns on Friday in Indianapolis, and there are plenty of athletes and celebrities who will be competing, including NFL stars such as Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua, and Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons.
NFL Stars To Participate in NBA Celebrity All-Star Game
ESPN and the NBA announced in a joint press release that Parsons and Stroud will be joined by a few other star athletes in former NBA player Metta World Peace, IndyCar driver Conor Daly, Olympic high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi, and WNBA stars Jewell Loyd and Natasha Cloud.
Also competing in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game are musicians AJ McLean, Anuel AA, Walker Hayes, SiR, and Adam Blackstonek, actors Dylan Wang and Quincy Isaiah, actor and musician Jennifer Hudson, streamer Kai Cenat, chef Kwame Onwuachi, and entertainers Tristan Jass and Jack Ryan.
Participating celebrities will be split into Team Shannon and Team Stephen A., with Pro Football Hall of Famers Shannon Sharpe and Peyton Manning and rapper 50 Cent coaching one team, and ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith, WNBA star A’ja Wilson and rapper Lil Wayne coaching the other.
Parsons has a basketball background, as he played varsity basketball in addition to football at Harrisburg High School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania before starring collegiately at Penn State and then getting drafted into the NFL.
#Cowboys Micah Parsons will be playing in the NBA Celebrity All-Star Game on team @ShannonSharpe.
Parsons (No. 23) was a basketball standout in PA, and even went up against Brooklyn Nets Lonnie Walker in High School.
Parsons might be the game’s MVP 🤟
(🎥: @PennLive on YT) pic.twitter.com/FsGSegAiNV
— Brandon Loree (@Brandoniswrite) February 7, 2024
The 24-year-old Parsons set a new career high in 2023 with 14 sacks this season after posting 13 as a rookie and 13.5 last season.
Parsons won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award in 2021, finished second in NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award voting in each of his first two seasons, and was a finalist this season.
Stroud, this year’s Offensive Rookie of the Year winner, threw for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns, and five interceptions in his debut season en route to a Pro Bowl. He also led the Texans to an AFC South title and a playoff win after they went 3-13-1 in 2022.
Now, he’ll get to show off his basketball skills. On “The Edge” with Micah Parsons, Stroud said he dropped 40 points on Jaime Jaquez in high school.
“Do you know who the star player on the Miami Heat is right now, other than Jimmy Butler?” Stroud asked. “Jaime Jaquez. He played at UCLA. That game I scored 40 points was on him. That’s Jaime Jaquez right there in the center. Stop playin’ with me bro.”
C.J. Stroud says he dropped 40 points on Jaime Jaquez in HS 👀
(via The Edge with Micah Parsons) pic.twitter.com/vfkOZB3UfJ
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 14, 2024
Stroud made some bold claims about that game, including scoring 40 points, hitting the game-winning three, and having the crowd rush the court.
Joining the NFL talents in the NBA celebrity game is Nacua, who was just recently named to the 2024 roster.
A day after the rosters were unveiled and Nacua’s name was nowhere to be found, the former BYU star joined the Pat McAfee Show during Super Bowl week.
McAfee asked Nacua if he’d like to participate in the celebrity event.
“I would love to,” Nacua replied.
Four days after his appearance on the show, ESPN senior vice president Mike Foss told McAfee that Nacua would be in the game.
Following Foss’ confirmation, the Rams rookie shared his thanks for McAfee & Co. with a post on social media.
“That’s what happens what you put trust into the boys,” Nacua posted on X.
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Another late addition to the game was Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman, who caught the game-winning touchdown pass in Super Bowl LVIII.
The celebrity basketball game will take place on Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ESPN.
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