February is proving to be a huge month where sports and music collide. This weekend, Rihanna will take the field as the Super Bowl halftime performer when the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs. The following weekend, 21 Savage and Janelle Monáe are among the names to hit the court for the 2023 Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game.
The announcement was made today (Feb. 8). According to The Salt Lake Tribune, Utah Jazz team owners Ryan Smith and Dwyane Wade will serve as the captains while 21 Savage, Janelle Monáe and more will provide a “Primetime” performance on the hardwood. Smith’s roster includes five-time American Music Award winner Kane Brown, “Two Tens” rapper Cordae, WNBA All-Star Diamond DeShields of the Phoenix Mercury, WWE wrestler The Miz, and Puerto Rican recording artist Ozuna, among others.
Congratulations King James 👑!!!! Thank you for showing us all how to float all these years. @KingJames #float https://t.co/d6WXcHfiFV
— Janelle Monáe👽🚆🤖🚀🪐 (@JanelleMonae) February 8, 2023
The fun doesn’t end there — Wade’s team will feature NFL player DK Metcalf, WNBA All-Star Arike Ogunbowale of the Dallas Wings, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings actor Simu Liu, “Yoga” hitmaker Monáe and “Rich Flex” rapper 21 Savage. Wade will also be joined by other famous faces such as comedians and influencers. Two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and his brothers Thanasis and Alex Antetokounmpo, along with Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn were announced as coaches for the match. After LeBron James broke the record for most points scored in an NBA career last night (Feb. 7), there’s a lot of excitement leading up to All-Star weekend.
“Congratulations, King James!!!! Thank you for showing us all how to float all these years,” Monáe tweeted in honor of his victory. The Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery actress will also be debuting new music just in time for the basketball game after previously saying she wouldn’t when fans joked about her choice of wardrobe. “Janelle Monáe finally showing off how fine she is instead of dressing like the Monopoly Man,” a user posted in a now-viral tweet on Feb. 5 after the songstress walked the Grammys red carpet in a revealing black gown. Once she saw the message, the 37-year-old responded, “Ohh, y’all n**gas liked this 26.8K times?? No new music just for this.” After the Twitter user received backlash for the denial of new tracks, the Grammy nominee complimented the woman and followed up with, “Y’all won. ‘FLOAT.’ Feb. 16.” The 2023 Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game will take place on Feb. 17 at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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Ohh y’all niggas liked this 26.8k times??no new music just for this. 😘 https://t.co/X0f4z5GL2o
— Janelle Monáe👽🚆🤖🚀🪐 (@JanelleMonae) February 7, 2023
Y’all won. FLOAT. 2/16.🕴🏾 pic.twitter.com/phavjbhPWf
— Janelle Monáe👽🚆🤖🚀🪐 (@JanelleMonae) February 8, 2023