The Most Iconic Music Moments In NBA All-Star Week History

“I asked God that when I sang it, would he let it move men’s souls,” Marvin Gaye said following his trailblazing national anthem performance — and he certainly did that, managing to somehow flip “The Star-Spangled Banner” into baby-making music with his smooth rendition at Los Angeles’ Forum. “When he took off, I morphed into an American,” said Pat Riley, the Los Angeles Lakers coach at the time. Lakers owner Jerry Buss later hailed Gaye’s performance as the “greatest anthem of all time.” Just over two decades later, the NBA honored Gaye’s legendary performance in 2004 by enlisting his daughter, Nona, to perform the national anthem at All-Star Saturday Night when the game returned to Los Angeles.

The Ultramagnetic MCs (Kool Keith, Ced Gee and crew) traveled from the Bronx to Houston’s Astrodome, where they took turns spitting a few bars about each All-Star tailored specifically to the player’s skill set and accolades, ending each freestyle the same way: “Because he’s an All-Star.”

The 1995-96 season was the first for the Vancouver Grizzlies and Toronto Raptors in the league, so “the Queen of Country Pop” brought some Canadian flair to San Antonio’s Alamodome with her glorious rendition of “O Canada.”

“With Broadway being at its pinnacle in the late ’90s and so prevalent in New York City culture, we knew we wanted to infuse the different iconic acts into one to really put on a show,” Myers says. So for halftime at the 1998 All-Star Game, the so-called “Broadway All-Stars” — cast members from Chicago, Bring in ’da Noise, Bring in ’da Funk, The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Jekyll & Hyde, Miss Saigon, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Les Misérables and Titanic — took the floor for a mega-musical medley, complete with filmed intros by NBA legends like Patrick Ewing and Walt Frazier.

Elton John was already scheduled to perform in Philly mid-February as part of his Face to Face Tour with Billy Joel — so it worked out nicely for him to stop by the All-Star Game and take his piano midcourt, atop a star-shaped American flag platform, to play a medley that revved up the crowd with his ode to their hometown, “Philadelphia Freedom,” plus “This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore” and “I’m Still Standing.”

The NBA pulled out all the stops for Michael Jordan’s final All-Star Game — including a center-court appearance by Mariah Carey, wearing a sleek navy dress emblazoned with MJ’s Wizards insignia and No. 23 — and making for one of the most indelible sports/music crossover images of the 21st century. She serenaded His Heirness and the Atlanta crowd, showcasing her five-octave range on “My Saving Grace” and Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “Hero.” “[Carey] really leaned in and was passionate about honoring Jordan’s legacy,” Myers says, “which is why her team led the charge on the performance creative and costume design set to the backdrop of the Michael Jordan tribute video that the league pulled together.”

Descending from the rafters of the Staples Center in a flowing bohemian dress atop a giant disco ball, Queen Bey cooed Donna Summer’s “Love to love you, baby” refrain before launching into “Naughty Girl” and “Crazy in Love” (sans Jay-Z), transforming the arena into her own version of Studio 54 nearly two decades before the Renaissance tour.

With the 2004 All-Star Game in Los Angeles, the NBA knew its entertainment had to be especially on point. In addition to booking Beyoncé for halftime, the league launched the first performance alongside player intros — now a staple of All-Star Weekend — with Outkast. Dressed like he was ready for a shift at Good Burger, André 3000 performed Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “Hey Ya!” before Big Boi joined the party for “The Way You Move.” What’s cooler than being cool? Three Stacks and Allen Iverson in the same building.

Shaquille O’Neal was gearing up to DJ the player introductions in front of his hometown Phoenix fans but was forced to pivot after losing his voice following rehearsals. “In a last-minute scramble, Shaq and [dance crew] the Jabbawockeez came up with a routine right before intros in the training room,” Myers recalls. The switch was a hit: Shaq’s 7-foot-1 frame towering over the Jabbawockeez, showing off his moves, was a funny and unforgettable visual.

Rihanna brought a full orchestra with her to the Staples Center for a medley that included “Umbrella,” “Only Girl (In the World)” and “Rude Boy,” and then she welcomed a pair of special guests: Drake popped out for “What’s My Name,” tweaking the lyrics to wish RiRi a happy birthday, before Ye tagged in for “All of the Lights.”

Just over a decade before playing his biggest sports stage yet — his Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show in New Orleans — Kendrick Lamar made his NBA All-Star debut in the Big Easy. Rocking a pair of flashy “Red October” Nike Air Yeezy 2s, he ripped through “m.A.A.d city” and “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe” to set the tone for All-Star Saturday Night.

Coming off his hit-filled 2013, it was only right that a red-hot Pharrell Williams and his then-omnipresent Buffalo hat made a strong impression at the 2014 All-Star Game. Skateboard P brought some friends along for the player introductions — weaving in Snoop Dogg, Diddy, Busta Rhymes, Nelly and Neptunes teammate Chad Hugo for one of the liveliest All-Star Weekend performances ever.

Fergie entered the canon of infamous national anthem performances with her bizarrely jazzified rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which had Golden State Warriors stars Steph Curry and Draymond Green cracking bemused grins. TNT studio analyst Charles Barkley admitted he “needed a cigarette” after watching the former Black Eyed Peas singer’s ill-conceived, now notorious attempt.

A respected hooper in his own right, the Dreamville honcho returned to his home state of North Carolina to headline the halftime show at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center. Wearing a vintage Hornets Starter jacket, Cole sharply executed a catalog-spanning medley including Grammy-nominated “Middle Child,” the 21 Savage-assisted “A Lot,” “ATM,” “Love Yourz” and 2014 Forest Hills Drive standout “Wet Dreamz.”

It seemed like a nearly impossible task: following up an emotional Magic Johnson eulogizing the late Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gigi Bryant, who both died just weeks prior to the 2020 All-Star Game in a helicopter accident. But Jennifer Hudson powerfully rose to the challenge with her thunderous cover of “For All We Know” (popularized by Donny Hathaway and Roberta Flack), rendering thousands of fans at Chicago’s United Center in tears.

Outside of his touching tribute to his hometown of Chicago and the late Kobe Bryant earlier in the weekend, Common shone with his player introductions, blending his rap technique with his hoops knowledge for unique freestyles introducing each All-Star over Ye instrumentals like “Get Em High” and “Homecoming.” Many went viral, and Common became a meme for a solid week as the rest of us tried to figure out how he managed to rhyme “refusal” with “Giannis Antetokounmpo.”

As Afrobeats shattered regional borders to take over the global music scene, the NBA took notice. “I’m about to take you on a journey through Africa without even going on a plane,” Burna Boy promised when he headlined the 2023 halftime show at Salt Lake City’s Vivint Arena. The self-proclaimed African Giant brought Nigerian stars Tems and Rema along for the celebratory performance.

This story appears in the Feb. 8, 2025, issue of Billboard.