The NBA and ESPN officially unveiled the rosters for the 2026 Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, a Friday-night staple that’s become less novelty and more pop-culture crossover event. The game tips Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. ET at Kia Forum in Inglewood and will air exclusively on ESPN.
This year’s player pool is an intentionally chaotic mix of entertainment, sports, influencers and basketball cameos. Headlining the roster are actor-producer Keegan-Michael Key and multi-platinum rapper GloRilla, alongside producer Mustard and Indian music star Badshah. The “basketball credibility” lane is covered by former NBA players Jeremy Lin, Tacko Fall and three-time returning celebrity gamer Jason Williams, while the sports-world cameos include Amon-Ra St. Brown, Keenan Allen and Brazilian legend Cafu.
The league also leaned into the modern All-Star economy, where creators are part of the show, not just the audience, adding Dude Perfect co-founder Cody Jones and hoops creator Jenna Bandy, plus a very on-brand entry: Shams Charania. And because it’s 2026, the business side is literally in uniform too, with Mat Ishbia and Rick Schnall joining the run.
The returning faces give the event continuity: reigning Celebrity Game MVP Rome Flynn is back, as are Simu Liu and Olympic sprinter Andre De Grasse, while Chinese actor-singer Dylan Wang makes his third appearance.
On the broadcast, Mark Jones handles play-by-play with Richard Jefferson as analyst and Monica McNutt reporting. Coaching duties are split between a group led by Giannis Antetokounmpo and his brothers Thanasis Antetokounmpo and Alex Antetokounmpo, and an other staff featuring Mookie Betts, trainer Chris Brickley, shooting coach Lethal Shooter and comedian Anthony Anderson.
The halftime show is the newest flex: five-member K-pop group CORTIS will perform, marking the first-ever Celebrity Game halftime performance by a K-pop act, per the league’s announcement.
And ESPN is packaging it like a main event. The network’s digital pregame show Hoop Streams will stream at 6:30 p.m. ET, hosted by Vanessa Richardson with analyst Iman Shumpert.
For a weekend designed to live online as much as on TV, the Celebrity Game remains the cleanest formula the league has: recognizable names, real competition, and just enough unpredictability that the highlights don’t have to be scripted.
