A Summary of NBA All Star Weekend in NYC

The City had a huge weekend and was host to many events this very cold February weekend. There was the NBA All Star Weekend, Fashion Week, the star-studded Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special and a huge concert full of hiphop heavyweights. What do these events have in common? Kanye West was at each one of them.

Image Credit: sandrarose.com 

The stars migrated from L.A. for the Grammys to New York for Fashion Week. On Thursday, Kanye West presented his first Yeezy collection with Adidas Originals, and all the big names were in attendance.

The front row was a who’s who of music and fashion elite including Beyoncé, Jay Z, Rihanna, Diddy, Cassie, 2 Chainz, and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. Pop queens Rihanna and Beyonce snapped a photo together backstage, while hip-hop moguls Jay Z and Diddy supported Kanye and his new collection.

Image Credit: hiphop-n-more.com

History was made on Thursday night when the East Coast and West Coast united for Hot 97’s “Tip-Off” concert hosted by Diddy and Snoop Dogg at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. The star-studded event, which kicked off NBA All-Star Weekend, featured surprise guests, reunions, and plenty of nostalgia, bringing out guests such as Busta Rhymes, French Montana, Dr. Dre, T.I., Lil Kim, The Lox, Kanye West, Nas, and many more during an unforgettable live event.

Diddy’s all-star lineup of guests included Busta Rhymes, Jermaine Dupri, and Kanye West, who performed “Can’t Tell Me Nothing." Black Rob guested on “Whoa!” and Diddy reunited R&B group 112, who performed their 2001 hit “Peaches & Cream” and the Notorious B.I.G. tribute “I’ll Be Missing You,” backed by Faith Evans and a choir. Nas hit the stage for “Hate Me Now” and “Made You Look,” while Naughty by Nature served their classics “O.P.P.” and “Hip Hop Hooray.”  Snoop Dogg brought out Dr. Dre for “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang." Then T.I who performed “About the Money.” The crowd went crazy when Lil’ Kim and The Lox  performed “Money, Power & Respect” and “It’s All About the Benjamins,” and Diddy’s son Christian Combs filled in for Ma$e on “Been Around the World.”

Other guests included Big Sean, Keyshia Cole, Doug E. Fresh, 2 Chainz, French Montana, A$AP Ferg, O.T. Genasis, Troy Ave, and ILoveMakonnen.

Image Credit: nba-events.com

It was NBA All-Star weekend, but it seemed as if all the stars in the celeb world were taking part in the swanky dinners, posh parties and concerts before Sunday's big game.

 

Official All-Star events, like Friday's celebrity game and Saturday's skills competition, attracted Rihanna, Kevin Hart, Mo'ne Davis and Floyd Mayweather, but other events had star power, too.

On Friday night, Nas and Drake gave a concert that featured Kanye West, while James held court at a dinner thrown at the Italian eatery Carbone by Beats. Farther away, All-Star John Wall had his own dinner at STK with Luc Belaire, where he mingled with guests, including rapper Pusha T and actress Keke Palmer.

On Saturday afternoon, Derek Jeter gathered his former Yankee teammate C.C. Sabathia, quarterback Russell Wilson, and others to discuss the launch of his after-career venture, the Players Tribune, a digital media company designed to give athletes a platform to tell their own stories; a late night launch party followed with a performance from rapper Common.

Sunday's game attracted some big-name musical talent, including a performance by Christina Aguilera and Nas before the start of the action. Among those attending the game was former President Bill Clinton, who sat with former NBA basketball player Dikembe Mutombo. Others seen at the game include film director Spike Lee and comedian Chris Tucker.

Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj provided the halftime entertainment, while Tamia sang the Canadian national anthem and Queen Latifah performed an acoustic version of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Russell Westbrook with his 3s, dunks, and swagger, was perfect for the All-Star Game. The Hawks played best when they were together, sharing the ball and making plays. LeBron James  had 30 points, five rebounds, seven assists, and two steals. However, much like the weather in New York, Carmello Anthony was frozen this weekend.  

Article by: Christine O'Connor

Twitter: @ChristineeeeO

More Insight On The 2014 MLB All Star Game

MLB All Star Game

As bad as the home run derby was (and it was bad, more about that here), the All Star game delivered.

Derek Jeter shined on the first play of the game, making a diving grab and throw that would have gotten anyone but Andrew McCutchen out. And he didn't stop there. Jeter went 2 for 2, with a double and a single, and scored a run. He knocked the double off the right field wall as a well lubricated fan yelled, "Overrated!" (Did anyone else hear a bit of a Bostonian accent in that heckle?)  MVP material, right? Well, it would have been had Mike Trout not gone 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs, a triple and a run. He was awarded MVP as MLB prepares to pass the torch to younger players. To ensure its continued success, MLB must do a better job branding its young stars. This was a baby step in the right direction.

One young player not ready to carry the torch is Yasiel Puig. He stayed consistent with his performance in the derby, striking out in all three of his at bats. Yikes.

As I said, the game itself was a good one, and if you cared, you watched it. The American League won 5-3, and as MLB is constantly reminding us because "This time it counts," secured home field advantage for the World Series.

As is usually the case with these events, though, the most compelling story lines didn't come from box scores or defensive gems. First, the players can't seem to decide if the game counts to them or not. Adam Wainwright, the starting pitcher for the NL, may or may not have given Jeter "a couple of pipe shots," as he told Jeff Pasan of Yahoo Sports. Wainwright later backed away from this statement. Try as MLB might, the All Star game seems like an exhibition game still to fans and players.

Jeter got a lot of attention, and if you didn't like it, well, too bad. Any baseball fan should be able to tip their hat to the man. RE2PECT, right? Jeter has respected the game his entire career, played within it, and never tried to become more than the game. His introduction, send off, and the RE2PECT commercial were moments true sports' fans cherish, regardless of their allegiances. Even some Southies will miss Jeetah when he's gone. Too much?



A lot was made over the lack of tribute to Tony Gwynn. Twitter nearly broke from fans expressing their rage. Much of it was exaggerated, and as goes with everything on Twitter, the rest was from people piggybacking a trending topic. I'm in the apparently small camp that doesn't feel an All Star game is the proper moment for a tribute. MLB later said they didn't want to single out any individuals, and, although their phrasing was poor due to the attention given to Jeter, I believe them.

Anyway, we're only halfway through the season, so let's carry the good moments from the All Star game into the rest of the year.

Oh, and next year, if you want the AL to win again, and you want to play your part in that, vote the entire Mets' bullpen in for the National League.

by:: Josh Henderson

Twitter: @verybadwrong