NBA All-Star 2010 – Dallas
NBA All Star Weekend happens every year in the month of February. It is a time for celebrities and athletes to come together and see who the best NBA players of the year are. It’s also an excuse for people to throw a lot of parties and events and charge outrageous prices for regular people to attend.
I, myself, am no stranger to this event. This will be my fourth All Star Weekend appearance. My first was in 1996 in San Antonio, then 2006 in Houston, 2007 in Las Vegas and now 2010 in Dallas.
The biggest difference for me wasn’t just the change of location, but the conditions in the location. Dallas, TX is a place where snow can happen, but this year it had record snowfall. Great timing mother nature. The snowy conditions didn’t hinder the events of All Star Weekend though. Parties were still thrown by people such as Diddy, Allen Iverson, Young Jeezy, Drake, Kenny Smith and even Lebron James.
I had the pleasure of attending several events. My first night, I attended NBA legend and former Houston Rocket Kenny Smith’s party at Deux. It’s an annual event and this was Kenny Smith’s 8th year doing the party. In attendance other NBA legends such as Reggie Miller, Dennis Scott, Kevin Mchale, and Steve Smith. Texas hip hop was represented as well, with appearances by Chamillionaire, Trae the Truth and Chalie Boy. Other notable celebrities included Power 105 on-air talent and former host of Yo MTV Raps Ed Lover, tv personality Big Lez, and Michael Bivins of New Edition/Bell Biv Devoe. This was a great introduction to the weekend. The party was packed and the ambiance was great. This party set the tone for what would be a great weekend.
The next morning I attended a Nike event for House of Hoops at the Foot Locker in NorthPark Mall. This event was simulcast on the internet and hosted by Terrance J of BET’s 106 & Park. It was an opportunity for kids and young adults to interact with NBA stars. This event stood out for me the most because a lot of NBA players attended to take questions from the audience of young adults. Notable players such as Boston Celtic Paul Pierce, Los Angeles Laker Pau Gasol and Shannon Brown and Toronto Raptor DeMar DeRozan all attended. Most of these players were taking part in the All Star Saturday night events such as, The Three Point Shootout and the Slam Dunk Contest. Shannon Brown, who was going to take part in the dunk contest, took the time to debut his new shoe that he would be wearing in the contest. The stand out had to be the fact that the current NBA Most Valuable Player and Cleveland Cavalier, Lebron James made an appearance to speak. He stayed for about 30 minutes and answered all questions. For a player of his magnitude and celebrity, one might figure that he wouldn’t be a part of an event like this. But sure enough he was there and very humble. This was a highlight for the audience and media as well.
Saturday night I got the chance to take in a few parties. I went by hip hop magazine The Source’s party in the Hyatt. Definitely a good party, but the real action was outside the party. I got a chance to see and talk to a lot of the NBA players who we saw at the House of Hoops event that were arriving back from the All Star Saturday night events. I also had a chance to see stand out rookie Brandon Jennings and hip hop legend Snoop Dogg. Talk about random. My last stop for the night was at singer Ray J’s party in downtown Dallas at Skye. Nice venue and the party was great. A perfect cap to a perfect night.
This All Star Weekend will definitely have its memories. It brought Nate Robinson of the New York Knicks winning his third consecutive slam dunk championship. It could have very well been the last time we’ll see Allen Iverson suit up for an All Star game. And it brought snow. It’s the small things that have made All Star Weekend one of the most exciting weekends in sports. We’ll see you next year in Los Angeles.
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Deuce Malone
Deuce is a writer/artist manager/actor/freelance air personality based in Austin, TX. He has worked in radio for six years and continues to work with artists in the music industry. He can be reached at deuce1079@gmail.com
