Vin Diesel, a cast member in the upcoming film “Fast X,” poses at the trailer launch for the film, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023, at L.A. Live in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah native and Grammy nominee Jewel, along with Post Malone and actors Vin Diesel and Ben Affleck, will be among the performers at this weekend’s NBA All-Star events in Salt Lake City.
Jewel will perform “The Star-Spangled Banner” before the All-Star Game on Sunday, Diesel will be welcoming fans and Post Malone will perform a medley after LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo draft their teams for the game.
The halftime show will feature three Nigerian artists — Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and producer Burna Boy, Grammy-winning and Oscar-nominated singer Tems and rapper Rema — doing an Afrobeats-themed performance.
Once the halftime show ends, the NBA will host a celebration commemorating James passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar earlier this month to become the league’s career scoring leader.
Jully Black will sing the Canadian national anthem before the game.
Affleck, who stars in the upcoming film “Air” — the story about how Sonny Vaccaro signed Michael Jordan to a Nike deal — will introduce the teams before the All-Star Celebrity Game on Friday night.
Utah-based group The Bonner Family will perform “The Star-Spangled Banner” before the Rising Stars game on Friday, then again on Saturday — along with “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” sometimes referred to as the Black national anthem — at the NBA HBCU Classic college basketball game between Southern and Grambling State.
