TNT to Exclusively Present Live Coverage of NBA All-Star 2017 Marquee Events from New Orleans, Feb. 16-19
2017 NBA All-Star Game to Showcase League’s Top Talent with 13-Time All Star LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler, Giannis Antetokounmpo and DeMar DeRozan Leading the Eastern Conference vs. the Western Conference with Host Pelicans’ Anthony Davis, Golden State Teammates Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kawhi Leonard
State Farm All-Star Saturday Night to Feature NBA’s Elite Performers Competing in Taco Bell Skills Challenge, JBL Three-Point Contest and Verizon Slam Dunk
TNT’s Sports Emmy Award-Winning Inside the NBA presented by Kia to be Televised Live from
“NBA on TNT Road Show” at Champions Square in New Orleans Beginning Thursday, Feb. 16
“Sager Strong” Tribute to Include Special Microphones
Used by TNT Sideline Reporters Throughout the Weekend
TNT will be the exclusive home for extensive live coverage of NBA All-Star 2017 in New Orleans, Feb. 16-19, featuring all of the league’s premium events and unparalleled access to its biggest stars. Turner Sports, marking its 32nd year of All-Star coverage, will televise more than 24 hours of NBA All-Star programming on TNT culminating with the 66th annual NBA All-Star Game presented by Kia from Smoothie King Center on Sunday, Feb. 19, at 8:30 p.m. ET with TNT NBA Tip-Off presented by Autotrader pre-game coverage beginning at 7 p.m. Additionally, coverage of the NBA All-Star Game will be simulcast on TNT and TBS beginning at 8 p.m.
Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game presented by Kia will showcase the league’s elite talent including 13-time All-Star LeBron James and Kyrie Irving of the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers joined by Chicago’s Jimmy Butler, Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan for the Eastern Conference. They will face Golden State teammates Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant alongside Anthony Davis of the host New Orleans Pelicans, San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard and Houston’s James Harden of the Western Conference.
Marv Albert, calling his 22nd NBA All-Star Game, will provide play-by-play commentary for the game with analysts Reggie Miller and Chris Webber, along with reporters David Aldridge and Kristen Ledlow.
TNT will premiere All-Star specific event coverage with the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge on Friday, Feb. 17, at 9 p.m. Some of the biggest names in the event’s history will be featured, including Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns, New York’s Kristaps Porzingis, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid and Phoenix’s Devin Booker. Analysts Grant Hill and Webber, along with reporters Rick Fox and C.J. McCollum of the Portland Trail Blazers, will join play-by-play announcer Matt Winer on the call. TNT’s multiple-time Sports Emmy Award winning Inside the NBA team of Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal will provide halftime and postgame coverage from the “NBA on TNT Road Show,” live from Champions Square in New Orleans. Area 21 host Kevin Garnett will add commentary and analysis with special guests throughout the night.
On the eve of the NBA All-Star Game, TNT will feature the State Farm All-Star Saturday Night, Feb. 18, at 8 p.m. with some of the league’s most exciting dunkers, three-point shooters and multi-faceted skill players on display, including defending three-point champion Klay Thompson, 2016 Verizon Slam Dunk runner-up Aaron Gordon and All-Stars Kyrie Irving, John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Davis. Play-by-play commentator Kevin Harlan will be joined by analysts Miller and Kenny Smith with Ledlow reporting on the night’s festivities, with O’Neal joining commentary during the Verizon Slam Dunk. The TNT NBA Tip-Off presented by Autotrader pre-game show with Johnson, Barkley, Smith and O’Neal with Garnett will begin at 7 p.m.
Leading into the network’s Saturday night lineup (Feb. 18), TNT will feature a series of original programs beginning with the NBA Talent Challenge, a competition featuring NBA players demonstrating their off-the-court talents, at 5 p.m. The talent show, produced by Turner Sports in association with Juma Entertainment, will feature eight finalists showing off their special skills, including Miami’s Chris Bosh playing guitar, Phoenix’s Devin Booker playing ping pong, Oklahoma City’s Victor Oladipo singing and Cleveland’s Iman Shumpert and the Lakers’ Metta World Peace and Lou Williams rapping. The telecast will be hosted by Johnson with Barkley, Smith and O’Neal serving as judges. Fan voting will determine the winner from a pool of five finalists.
The Dew NBA 3x All Star Edition: Team Kyrie vs. Team Russ will follow at 6 p.m. Some of the best elite amateur basketball players in the nation will compete 3-on-3 in New Orleans, playing for NBA All-Stars Westbrook and Irving, who will act as General Managers, along with Turner Sports NBA analysts O’Neal and Dennis Scott, who will serve as the coaches of the teams. In addition, former NBA stars Jason Williams and Baron Davis will play in the game, serving as team captains.
TNT’s Saturday night programming lineup will also include a standalone 30-minute episode of Area 21: NBA All-Star Edition, featuring unique insight and commentary from host and 15-time NBA All-Star Kevin Garnett at 6:30 p.m.
A tribute to legendary TNT sideline reporter Craig Sager will include the network’s sideline reporters using unique microphone flags with “Sager Strong” branding throughout the weekend. Additionally, 30 local cancer survivors will be hosted at the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge in a special Sager Strong section of the lower seating bowl.
The network’s coverage will tip off from New Orleans on Thursday, Feb. 16, with Inside the NBA presented by Kia televised from the NBA on TNT Road Show. Host Johnson and analysts Barkley, Smith and O’Neal along with Garnett will provide a one-hour TNT NBA Tip-Off presented by Autotrader pre-game show at 7 p.m., along with American Express Halftime Show updates and post-game coverage following the network’s game telecast featuring the Boston Celtics vs. Chicago Bulls at 8 p.m.
Daily highlights for TNT’s NBA All-Star coverage include:
Thursday, February 16
- TNT’s Sports Emmy Award-winning Inside the NBA presented by Kia studio team of Johnson, Barkley, Smith and O’Neal will provide pregame coverage at 7 p.m. ET, American Express Halftime Show updates and a post-game show live from the “NBA on TNT Road Show” at Champions Square in New Orleans.
- Thursday’s NBA on TNT primetime telecast will feature the Celtics with All-Star Isaiah Thomas visiting the Bulls and All-Star Jimmy Butler at 8 p.m. Marv Albert will call the game with Kevin McHale (analyst) and Ros Gold-Onwude (reporter).
Friday, February 17
- TNT will exclusively televise live coverage of the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge from Smoothie King Center at 9 p.m. For the second straight year, the event will feature a USA vs. World format with some of the league’s top young talent in action including Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns, New York’s Kristaps Porzingis, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, Jahlil Okafor and Dario Saric and Phoenix’s Devin Booker and Marquese Chriss. Winer will call the game with analysts Hill, Webber and reporters Fox and McCollum.
- The Inside the NBA presented by Kia studio team of Johnson, Barkley, Smith and O’Neal will provide American Express Halftime Show updates and post-game analysis from the NBA on TNT Road Show.
Saturday, February 18
- Tipping off the night’s coverage, TNT will televise a series of original programming beginning with the NBA Talent Challenge at 5 p.m., a one-hour show capturing NBA players demonstrating some of their hidden off the court talents. Half-hour specials of the Dew NBA 3x All-Star Edition and Area 21: NBA All-Star Edition will air at 6 and 6:30 p.m., respectively.
- At 7 p.m., the network will feature a one-hour TNT NBA Tip-Off presented by Autotrader pre-game show with Johnson, Barkley, Smith and O’Neal.
- State Farm All-Star Saturday Night, including the Taco Bell Skills Challenge, JBL Three-Point Contest and Verizon Slam Dunk, will tip off at 8 p.m. Harlan will provide play-by-play commentary with analysts Miller and Smith throughout the evening, along with reporting from Ledlow and commentary from the Inside the NBA team of Johnson, Barkley and O’Neal.
Sunday, February 19
- TNT will exclusively televise the NBA All-Star Game 2017 presented by Kia with TNT NBA Tip-Off presented by Autotrader pre-game coverage beginning at 7 p.m. Johnson will host the pre-game show with Barkley, Smith and O’Neal from the arena.
- Albert will call the game with analysts Miller and Webber and reporters Aldridge and Ledlow.
- NBA All-Star Game coverage will be simulcast on TNT and TBS beginning at 8 p.m.
- Following the NBA All-Star Game, Inside the NBA presented by Kia will be televised on NBA TV.
TNT Overtime
TNT Overtime will continue to offer fans a unique video companion experience throughout NBA All-Star 2017 – including the Rising Stars Challenge presented by BBVA, All-Star Saturday Night presented by State Farm and Verizon and the NBA All-Star Game presented by Kia, Dr. Scholl’s and Autotrader.
Live streaming of NBA All-Star coverage airing on TNT will also be available via www.tntdrama.com/watchtnt and the Watch TNT app. Fans are able to access the content whenever and wherever they desire by logging in with the user name and password provided by their TV service provider.
About Turner Sports
Turner Sports, a division of Turner, is an industry leader in the delivery of premium sports content across all multimedia screens. Turner Sports’ television coverage includes the NBA, Major League Baseball, NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, ELEAGUE and professional golf. The company also manages some of the most popular sports destinations across broadband and mobile platforms including Bleacher Report and its top-rated Team Stream app, NCAA.com and the critically-acclaimed NCAA March Madness Live suite of products, PGA.com and the Sports Emmy Award-winning PGA Championship LIVE, as well as an accompanying collection of mobile sites and connected device apps. Turner Sports and the NBA also jointly manage NBA Digital, a robust collection of offerings including NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS, NBA Mobile, the NBA App, NBADLEAGUE.com and WNBA.com.
Visit the Turner Sports online pressroom for additional press materials; follow Turner Sports on Twitter at @TurnerSportsPR
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